A Piece of the World
by SnowyNeko
Summary: This is also a crossover for Fruits Basket, but I couldn't figure out how to make a third category. This is a compilation of my already written stories and their characters. They're all suddenly sucked into a different universe, where they're met by a mysterious voice that tells them the fate of everything lies in their hands. Cheesy? A bit. Complicated? Very.
1. Chapter 1

I have begun to write again! Yay! I've been planning this one for a while, taking all my characters and their love interests and combining them into one story. Of course, that means you'll probably have to have read my previous works to know who everyone is. Or you could just wing it and ride along for the story. That's probably what I'd do, although it might be a bit hard. I'll be introducing an entire new cast of original characters as well, so be prepared. Also, you'll discover the viewpoints will change chapter to chapter. I did previously say that someone could choose the next story I write about, but no one responded until I had already began writing this. I promise to watch Steins;Gate and see what I can do with it while I write this story. From what I've heard about it, it'll be a hard storyline for me to slip any characters of my own into, so I might just end up writing a poem about it or something. I promise I will do something, though! Anyway, I can't wait to work with such a large cast! This'll be something fairly new for me.

SnowyNeko: I get to work with Lulu again! XD

Lelouch: Someone please get her off my arm.

Sebastian: It's a pleasure to be back, miss author.

SnowyNeko: Pleasure to have you back!

Yuki: Miss author, I think you're bothering Lelouch.

SnowyNeko: I'm just so happy you're all here! It's hard to contain myself!

Sebastian: I understand you're excited, but I don't think this is the best way to go about things.

Lelouch: Can you let go of me?

SnowyNeko: I will…when you agree to let me dress you in a cat costume.

Lelouch: HUH!?

Yuki: And here we go again. SnowyNeko does not own any of the animes or the characters from them.

SnowyNeko: That's a fact. I look forward to working with you all!

* * *

"Today, milord, I have prepared Earl Grey Tea and a blueberry tart, with a side of cream." Sebastian carefully pours the tea into the fragile teacup, which sits empty on Ciel's desk. It's actually more difficult than it looks. He has to keep his hand perfectly still, and tilt the kettle at just the right angle. On days when Ciel is especially thirsty, Sebastian's hands are often cramped by nightfall. For a demon who often doesn't feel pain, it hurts more than it would a human.

That little brat of a master seems to enjoy putting Sebastian into tough situations, so much so that I've taken a keen distaste towards him. It's not like I can do anything about it, though.

"What is the schedule for today, Sebastian?" Ciel inquires, sipping his tea like the nobleman he is.

"There isn't much, milord," Sebastian replies, serving the tart on an ornate plate that could easily be as old as he is. "It is All Hallows Eve tonight, after all. Lady Elizabeth has requested you to join her for a celebratory ball at her place at eight o' clock. Of course, it is assumed you will be in a costume."

"Must I go?" the earl sighs.

"You must. I do implore you to be more social, young master. Try to have some fun while you're there. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to preparing the next meal."

The raven-haired butler bows elegantly before exiting the room. "If my master could read my mind, he'd be very displeased with your attitude."

"If he could read _your _mind, he wouldn't be able to read mine," I argue as he continues down the hall. "It just bothers me that he treats you like that. I treated you so much better."

He chuckles. "You were in love with me, mistress. The young master isn't as enraptured, I'm afraid."

"You says that I love you," I grumble.

"Why, I believe that would be you, Mistress Kara." If I had a body of my own, I would turn away, blushing. Feeling my embarrassment, my imaginary blush deepens when he smirks.

"Sadist," I mutter in accusation. He doesn't laugh out loud this time, but I can feel that he wants to.

"Mmm, if I'm a sadist, then that would make you a masochist." He wears a satisfied smirk as I stutter endlessly that I'm not. His favorite pastime, whether he's cleaning or cooking or gardening, is to tease me. I'm always conveniently right there, so the job of relieving his boredom falls to me. He dislikes his current master about as much as I do, but apparently Ciel's soul is a rare delicacy among demons. He does his best to withstand the obstinate child with the goal of feasting when all is said and done.

I've had problems with his food before. As a demon, he can technically live without eating. It's just that he'd become increasingly weak if he fasts for too long. Sebastian was a strong demon to begin with, but he would be flimsier than some of the weakest demons if he neglected to eat. I understand that it bothers him, so I've kept quiet, but he knows I'm discontent with his appetite for human souls. However, in this one case, I don't think I'll mind too much when he consumes Ciel. It'll be a pity, though. He's actually quite handsome for a thirteen year old.

We round a corner and nearly run into Mey Rin, who is again running in the halls at full speed. Sebastian sidesteps to avoid her, but she trips over her own two feet when she tries to come to a stop. Slightly annoyed, Sebastian grabs her arm and pulls her up before she can fall.

She blushes as profusely as I used to and stammers, "I-I'm sorry! I just remembered about an old duster I could use, yes I did! I was rushing to go get it."

"Mey Rin, could you please refrain from running through the mansion," Sebastian sighs, exasperated. "You're going to break something. Do be more careful."

"Ye-yes sir!" She salutes like a soldier before taking off again down the hall at a somewhat slower pace. I like Mey Rin. She's a sweet girl, but she could really use a new pair of glasses. She can't see a darn thing without 'em, but the ones she has now are cracked beyond repair, and she absolutely refuses to give 'em up.

Deciding to check on how the master's supper is progressing, Sebastian makes a stop in the kitchen.

"Bardroy, what is this?" Sebastian asks, voice menacingly calm. The blond cook scratches the back of his neck shamefully.

"Well, ya see, I hadn't gotten me flamethrower out in a while, so I decided to see if the thing still worked."

Never have a met a sane person so attached to a flamethrower. When he doesn't use it on the food, though, his cooking is plenty praiseworthy according to the other servants. Although, I don't know if they're aware of how much of Sebastian makes.

I wouldn't know how it tastes. I haven't eaten any actual food since I lost my corporal body. Sebastian doesn't eat anything but souls, and they don't seem to taste like much. Sebastian has mentioned multiple times that since my own soul is human, I'm unable to appreciate it as much as he does, but in my opinion they haven't more taste than plain old water. He's missing out on the gift of taste, if I do say so myself.

I watch through Sebastian's eyes as he works on rescuing the meal from the ashes. His slender hands guide the knife smoothly over the fruits, slicing them into edible squares and stacking them impeccably in a towering display. This is _my _entertainment, and I've never grown bored of it. He always moves with purpose, even if he's waltzing down the hallways with no idea what to do. For me, it's absolutely mesmerizing to watch. I'm sure others share the same opinion.

After wiping the blade clean, he sets it down neatly by the platter. "I trust that you can continue without scorching everything around you," Sebastian states, preparing to leave. Even though it wasn't a direct command, Bardroy responds with a sullen 'yes boss'.

On the way to find Finny, the gardener, he passes by Tanaka. Sebastian pauses to watch while Tanaka drinks from his seemingly bottomless cup. Seriously, I've never seen it run out, and it's always steaming like it's fresh. Sebastian decides to leave the old butler to his tea.

In front yard, there are a multitude of white roses. I prefer red myself, but for some reason Ciel has taken a liking towards the pure white. Since this is his mansion, that means all the primly trimmed roses must be at least as white as Sebastian's always-spotless gloves.

Finny teeters on a stool, stretching to clip the top of a hedge. Before we can react, he tumbles down and lands on the grass with a thud.

"Ow, ow, ow!" the young boy whines, clutching his head.

"Finny, there's a storm coming, Sebastian points out. "Shouldn't you be inside?"

"Oh! You're right I didn't notice!" Finny exclaims, taking note of the cloudy sky. "Let me finish trimming these bushes, and I'll be right in." The orange haired boy salutes before stepping back onto the stool and proceeding to stumble again.

"Do it quickly," Sebastian sighs, turning to go in himself. He doesn't like getting wet, sort of like a cat. It's sent me into hysterics many times, how he avoids rain like it's the demon plague. Almost as soon as we step into the mansion, lightening strikes and the clouds open up to drench poor Finny. I snicker and he hushes me, although it's not like anyone else can hear me.

"Afraid of a little rain?" I tease. I've admittedly become a bit bolder over the years, since I can't really do anything but talk and watch like a spectator. Sebastian's little quirks give me great pleasure to poke fun at. He knows I'm doing it lightheartedly. As proof, we've barely fought in all the years I've been with him.

"I've told you before, milady, I simply detest the feeling of water. And it ruins newly washed clothes."

"I know," I consent, smiling mentally. Only times like this cause me to miss my own body. If I had one to myself right now, I could lean on his shoulder and he'd wrap his arm around me. I know this cause he's reading my little fantasy right now and moving his imaginary arm by himself. By now, even if I could return to my body, it'd be part of the soil by now.

We still visit my grave every few years because we both want to. Sebastian wants to go to remind himself of when we both had our bodies to ourselves. I insist on going because my grave is also my sister's, Mary's, grave. Her death is what convinced me to summon Sebastian in the first place. With his help, I personally killed a roman emperor, and that eventually had a domino effect and lead to the fall of the entire Roman Empire. The advances humankind has made since then are incredible! Indoor lighting is exceptionally handy.

All of the sudden, a wave of dizziness hits me. Apparently, it's effecting Sebastian, too, as he stumbles forward a step before steadying himself. Along with the dizzy spell, an aching pain is seeping into my mind.

"You're getting a headache?" Sebastian murmurs quietly, sounding a little puzzled. "Is that even possible?"

"You're not?" I gasp. The pain is growing stronger by the second. This doesn't make any sense! I don't even have a head to ache with! If Sebastian isn't feeling anything, then it's all me, but how?

A abruptly as the dizziness and pain came, so does an odd gravity. I feel as if I'm being pulled away, pulled apart, and it's excruciating. I do my best to root myself to where I am, but that's kind of hard since I don't even physically exist. I loose my grip and everything is sucked into blackness. A second later, I can see again.

Where am I? My eyes dart from wall to wall, which seem to be made of hardened mud like in the old days. It's not exactly like back then, though. In one corner, there's a mini kitchen with cabinets and a sink. That's certainly modern. There're other people in the room, but none that I recognize. There are two girls, one boy, and one covered and masked. From the flatness of the chest, I'm guessing that one is also a boy. The others…are weird. I've never seen girls dress like that, and the boys' clothes are unfamiliar as well.

Then my eyes land on someone else, and my heart begins to sputter. Sebastian is standing at my side, staring back at me in astonishment. I try to take a step towards him, tripping. Just like back when we had just met, he catches me.

"Oh my God," I breathe, unable to peel my eyes from him. We stay like that for what seems like an eternity, his hand on my arm, gazing at each other. Then he pulls me into an embrace, which I quickly return.

When he lets me go, he immediately becomes calculative. "This isn't a place for you, Kara, nor for me. We have to get back." He flips open his watch, checking the time. "We can celebrate whatever happened when we return. The young master will wonder where I went."

* * *

It has begun. For those of you who may not have read my preceding stories before this, Kara summoned Sebastian after her sister was driven to suicide after being raped. Nice huh. Anyway, they fell in love and she sort of dies. Sebastian managed to save her soul by storing it inside himself. Thus, they have lived for years with Kara being a voice in his head. Even though they're both ecstatic that she has her body back, they're obviously in a more pressing situation that demands their attention. I'm sorry if you were expecting a more heartfelt reunion, and trust me, if they weren't where they are now, there would've been one. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to writing the rest so you guys don't complain about being left with too many questions.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	2. Chapter 2

This is Tori's point of view. As confusing as all of this is, her main concern is for Lelouch. I should probably apologize beforehand for how complicated this storyline is going to get, so I apologize. I love theorizing and dreaming and I'm a total geek. I come up with random circumstances and try to create scientific reasonings for why and how. This entire storyline is kind of a result of that. If you're looking for a straightforward and simplistic story, I suggest you leave now. However, if not, I invite you to try to enjoy this as much as I do. I love puzzles like this.

Lelouch: So you're just trying to confuse your readers?

SnowyNeko: No, but there's a definite element of mystery to this one.

Sebastian: There's nothing wrong with that.

SnowyNeko: I'm really enjoying writing like this. Wish me luck, though. This is my first time using such a large cast.

Yuki: I like how the reader knows some things the characters don't.

SnowyNeko: That's always fun, but in this story there are also things the characters know that the reader doesn't.

Sebastian: Which creates all the more mystery.

Lelouch: When you say complicated, how complicated are you thinking.

SnowyNeko: I mean like scrambled brain soup.

Yuki: Does that make any sense?

Lelouch: She does not own any of the animes or their characters.

* * *

What just happened? One second I was riding my knightmare, Kallen by me in the Guren, and then I sort of blacked out. Next thing I knew, I was here. Weird thing is, I'm standing. You don't black out and then come to standing. It's wrong.

And my head! I clutch at my skull, groaning in pain. It hurts like hell! Was I hit on the battlefield? Could it be I'm in a coma? If I am, is it possible for me to be…well, conscious? Maybe I died. No, that can't be it. There are other people here, and I don't believe in the afterlife. Now that I think about it, that rules out my coma theory, too. Perhaps it was a drug produced by the Britannian military. If so, why haven't I heard about it, and how could I have ingested it?

And who are these people? If we were prisoners, I'm pretty certain I'd recognize my inmates. My memory is perfectly intact as far as I can tell. There aren't any gaps that don't make any sense.

A moan from behind me catches my attention. "Le- Zero!" This can't be good. He's here too, and still in disguise. He wont be able to take it off, otherwise they'll se who he is. I get down on my knees and grab his shoulders. I can't help but wonder why I was upright when he's on his back.

"Are you alright, Zero?" I help him sit up as he reaches up to touch his head, only to meet the cold metal of his helmet.

"Was it a drug?" he asks, sounding a bit dazed.

"That seems likely, but I can't tell," I admit.

He glances at the door before scanning the rest of the room. "Check if the door's unlocked. Be subtle about it," he orders. He pulls himself to his feet and sinks further into the shadows, observing quietly the people we're with. As they help each other get their footing, as some of them appear to be put off balance, I silently slip towards the door. I stand directly in front of it, keeping an eye on the four strangers. One girl seems to have tripped in her confusion, caught by the arm by a tall, black-haired man. His outfit is that of a butler's, hers one of a bride. An odd pair, if you ask me.

The other two are holding hands. The boy holding the girl's hand strikes me in a peculiar way. His hair is grey and his skin is pale, but he can't be much older than me. If he's older at all, that is. For a boy, he's actually kind of pretty. He sort of reminds me of Lelouch, in that respect. Both of the guys have a dreamlike air to them. The girls, however, both seem nothing short of ordinary. Bizarrely mismatched, they make a cute pair of couples.

Then it hits me. We appear to have arrived in sets: three boys, three girls. From the looks of it, we're also all coupled up. Something like that isn't accidental, is it? But what reason is there for gathering us here? A survey? It wouldn't be so innocent, with such a method to get us here, so scratch that. A science experiment for the military, or an underground organization? What would they be testing, in that case?

I reach behind my back and try the doorknob. I almost yelp when I find it unlocked. They aren't keeping us here? Does that mean they're all right with us wandering around, or are they confident they can keep us here without taking such precautions? The door remains shut and I slide back to Lelouch's side unnoticed by the others.

"It's unlocked," I inform him softly. The rest of my observations, I keep to myself. He's surely thought of them all by now, with a mind like his. The girl in the flowing white gown whispers something to her dark haired companion, but other than that she's silent. The grey-haired boy is having a quiet conversation with his girlfriend, whose expression is a mix between confusion and anger. She breaks away from him and turns to address us.

"Hey, what's going on?"

All eyes lock on her as her question lingers heavy in the air. I look to Lelouch, who's staring at the girl who spoke. He's trying to figure out what to say in this situation.

"Uh, excuse me!" A voice crackles through the room and I jump a little. This place as me on edge. "Is this thing on? Hello? Can you hear me at all?"

It seems to be waiting for a response, so I answer. "Loud and clear. Who the _hell _are you?"

"Unimportant," it states in a huff. Clear wasn't exactly the best choice of words on my part. I can't even tell what gender the speaker is. "I apologize for the inconvenience, and I'm sure five of you have some pretty skull splitting headaches. If you trust me not to poison you, there's some medicine for that in the cabinets behind you." We all turn to look, but none of us make a move towards it. The voice sighs. "Since you do _not_ trust me, and it would be best if you're all undistracted, I urge Sebastian to confirm the benefits and nontoxicity of the medicine."

The young butler steps forward after recovering from the surprise of hearing his own name. My suspicions immediately arise. Could he be in on this? For a butler, he doesn't look old enough, and he doesn't appear to have any qualms about following the voice's instructions. Not only that, he knows exactly where the medicine is without looking at all. He removes the cap and sniffs the bottle. Then, to my amazement, he pours two pills into his hand and offers them to the girl he was talking with earlier.

"They are perfectly safe, milady. Two should be enough to get rid of the headache you were complaining about just now." To my even greater astonishment, she accepts them without question. Sebastian fills a glass with water and brings it to her and she takes it with a quick 'thank you'. She doesn't hesitate to swallow them down. When she brings the glass down, she shakes her head in disbelief.

"Has medicine always worked this quickly?" Sebastian whispers something in her ear and she jerks back, wide-eyed. "Really? That can't be good. Is it medicine for you?"

"Mistress Kara, I don't need medicine," he enlightens her with a small bow. She gives him a laughing smile.

"Of course you don't, but it's safe, as you said?"

"Of course." What he says next doesn't seem to be directed at any of us. "May I inquire as to how you know my name?"

"You can ask, but I can't really give you an answer right now," the voice replies. "I know all your names."

Lelouch is next to speak. "Tell us, then, what is it you want us to do?"

The sound of rustling papers. "Um, right now you're in the pet sanctuary. I'm sorry to inform you that you'll have to travel to the main compound on your own. I insisted we come pick you up, but the others weren't too keen on your being here in the first place. I can continue being a guide like this, but that's all I can do until you get here.

"I suggest you grab a few snack and water bottles out of the cabinets before you head out. It'll probably take you at least a day on foot, so be prepared to spend at least one night out there. The door to your left if the one to outside, and the door on the right is the one to the animal sanctuary. Feel free to spend some time there before you leave."

Pet sanctuary? Main compound? I'd love to ask about those things, but Lelouch asks the truly important question.

"And why do you expect us to go along with this?" We all pause, curious as to the answer. For a moment, there's silence, as if the voice can't think of what to say. Then,

"Sebastian and Kara, Yuki and Vierra. Tori and Lelouch. I'm telling you you _have_ to do this. If you don't, people will die. People, animals, and every living that that has ever existed in any universe that has ever existed or _will _ever exist, will die." We're all frozen, stunned by the seriousness of the tone of voice.

"I'll explain it better when you reach the compound."

* * *

Yay! The mystery deepens. How is this for a mystery? I'm aware there aren't too many people reading this, which is to be expected with a crossover like this, using my past stories, but I think this one will be my best story yet! If any of you start to piece things together, please feel free to post your predictions in the comments. I want to know whether or not I'm giving too much away. Plus, it will be interesting to know what you think'll happen so I can shock you all the more. Don't worry. If you do by some chance guess what I'm planning on doing, I won't change it just so you'll be wrong.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	3. Chapter 3

And here is Vierra. If you read the _Tragedy of the White Rat_ I bet you ended the series wondering what happened to her. This will either confirm what you assumed, or say the exact opposite. And oh, I've begun to come up with an idea for my next character. I'm already molding her personality and appearance (which I won't tell), and can't wait to find a story to write her into. I've also decided to give her a Japanese name this time around. I know it's kind of early to be already thinking about that, but I can't help myself. I love making new characters! I already have at least a hundred others who are completely unused.

Yuki: Just be sure not to loose focus on your current story.

Lelouch: You have to finish this one first.

SnowyNeko: I know, and I'm equally excited to get this story out there.

Sebastian: I've brought some tea, if anyone wants some.

Yuki: I do.

SnowyNeko: Me too!

Lelouch: I think I'll pass.

SnowyNeko: *sips tea* I had a dream about aliens last night.

Lelouch: Where's that come from?

SnowyNeko: I wanted to talk about it.

Sebastian: Then how about we save that for a more appropriate time?

SnowyNeko: Fine...*sip* I don't own any of the animes I'm using.

* * *

Everything will die? How theatrical is that? I'd be more likely to believe an atomic bomb would explode if we didn't do as they say, or a cure to cancer would be discovered if we cooperated. Even so, my grip on Yuki's hand tightens. The touch of his skin is, comfortingly, still unnaturally smooth. The world's colors have dulled again, and imperfections have returned, and yet Yuki is here with me, as flawless as ever.

I thought I'd never see this world again, but it looks like I was to optimistic. They must've found me after the gun went off been able to save me, although that doesn't explain Yuki's presence. Such a radical change has to have shocked Yuki, so I haven't released his hand since we've arrived. He won't say it, but he's nervous just being around people he doesn't know. It doesn't exactly help that the way the world around him looks has completely flipped.

I can sort of guess which names belong to whom because of the way the voice grouped them. Sebastian is definitely the butler, and since the voice put him with 'Kara', she must be the girl he's with. I honestly wasn't aware there were still butlers in this day and age. Rich people sure do have it good.

The other two must be Tori and…was it Lelouch? I've never heard a name like that before. The girl, I guess, is Tori, so that leaves the masked one to be Lelouch.

But even where are we? And why these people? Why us? What bothers me the most is that we're obviously not in Fruits Basket anymore. It would make sense if I didn't actually dies, but again I point out Yuki. He wouldn't be with me right now if it was that simple. I can't generate any reason for something like this to happen, but I can't really think straight anyway, with my head throbbing the way it is. I step forward to take the medicine from Kara, but Yuki holds me back.

"Don't. There's something off about that guy." His violet eyes hold the same worry as his words.

"Yeah, there's also something off about all of this." My hand loosens from his, but he grabs it back. I knew he was nervous. He allows me to approach Kara. I stretch out my empty hand for the medicine, which she hands over without a word, when all of the sudden Yuki snatches it from me.

"Let me try it first," he requests. "Please, Vierra." He waits for my consent like the gentleman he is, and I gaze at him unsure.

Then I say, "We can take it at the same time. I wont let you be the lab rat."

Reluctantly, he pours out the pills to give to me. Before consuming them, he takes a discreet whiff. Obviously, he doesn't trust Sebastian's judgment, and he has no reason to. I don't really, either, but Kara seemed just fine with taking the medication after his okay. Apparently he doesn't find the scent alarming. He nods to me and swallows them dry. I'm about to as well, but he goes over to the sink and brings me a cup of water. I thank him and quickly gulp down the medicine. I almost stumble over my own stationary feet when the headache that has been raging my mind evaporates quicker than a glass of water in a desert. I glance over at Yuki in astonishment, but he's examining the bottle.

"What is this stuff?" he asks to no one in particular. The girl I assume to be Tori grabs the bottle from Yuki, evidently having decided she's had enough of her own headache, and heads to the sink. She doesn't bother to search for a glass or a cup, instead drinking directly from the faucet.

"Zero, do you need any?" she addresses the masked figure. Zero, huh? What is that, a code name? They look too young to be spies or something, but you never know. Zero, or Lelouch, or whoever he is, shakes his head no.

"I must ask," Sebastian begins, "if you are planning on taking off your mask any time? I imagine it must be terribly hot, and it's quite rude to wear one inside."

Sudden laughter startles me, as well as everyone else. Our attention goes to Tori, who is currently quieting herself and replacing her amused expression with one of business.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you're asking Zero to take off his mask! It's been a while since anyone has demanded such a thing without a gun or two aimed at our heads."

Yuki's soft voice is next to inquire. "A gun? Why would you have guns pointed at you?" Kara whispers in Sebastian's ear, her face bewildered. As Sebastian whispers back, a recently uncommon look of confusion dawns on Tori's face.

"You mean you don't know who he is?"

"Might you two be in the mafia?" Kara wonders, looking like she's trying to piece things together. "They've been a major problem in London as of late."

I scoff. "The mafia? What age are you living in? Those haven't caused any problems for years! And you don't sound like you're from London, anyway. Where's your British accent?

"London as in England?" Tori asks. "That was destroyed during an invasion, wasn't it?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Girls!" Lelouch's stern tone makes us all jump a bit, although he also sounds undeniably confused. "You're all pretty." I can't help but crack a smile. I always use that phrase whenever Yuki and Kyo get into one of their arguments. "I would suggest we head out soon. I for one do not want to stay here any longer than necessary. It is up to you whether or not to come with,

I sneak a glance at the door to the pet sanctuary. "Can we at least take a peek in there, first? I'm kind of curious as to what it is."

"I want to take a look, too," Kara confesses, a slight smile spreading across her lips. "It's been a while since I've pet a cat."

Zero doesn't flinch, or even seem surprised by our curiosity. "Do what you want, but I'll be leaving soon. I want an explanation as to why we're here."

I waste no time, flinging open the door and entering. What I see leaves me in awe. I haven't felt this spellbound since I was first sucked into Fruits Basket.

The expanse of this room alone appears to be endless, and it's packed from wall to wall (where ever the other walls are) with animals. There are dogs, cats, hamsters, and every sort of animal that has ever been domesticated before, and there isn't a single cage in sight. Trees are growing out of the carpeted floor, and a river cuts through the middle. Unsaddled horses tiptoes around the smaller animals masterfully, to play or cool down in the water. The crystal clear water is populated with fish of all sorts, frogs, salamanders, and even a few snakes. The room is neither smelly nor dirty, instead in pristine condition and suitable to every animal it holds.

Immediately when we enter, rats swarm to our feet. Most are well bred and tame, but spotted here and there are rats that look to be wild. They stampede towards Yuki, who accepts their welcome with a bit of shock. A few begin climbing up his leg due to lack of room on the ground. One of them somehow makes its way into his hair and I laugh. Yuki looks at me, smiling that rare smile of his that's reserved for only me, the one that fully reaches his eyes.

I carefully pluck the little white rat from his hair and pet it. That cast I had finally came off a few weeks ago with Hatori's allowance, so I've been using my hands as much as I can lately.

"It looks like you!" I exclaim, giggling as it scurries across my hands.

"I don't know," he jokes. "This one looks a little too cute."

I lean over and peck his cheek. "Nah, you're the cutest of them all."

"Boys don't like to be called cute," he tells me, grinning. He steps closer and tilts my head for a kiss. "But, I think I'll forgive you this once."

I meet his kiss halfway, only to be interrupted by a yelp. We pull apart to see Kara and Sebastian in the doorway, Sebastian carrying his mistress bridal style. With their outfits, they do look exactly like a bride and groom.

"I'm all right," she assures him, releasing her hold on his arm. "I was just a bit surprised. What's with all the mice? Or are those rats?"

"I, um," I rush to find an excuse. "I think it might be his cologne." Her dark haired butler sets her down gently and she straightens out her dress. Sebastian shoves a dog away with his foot a little roughly, but careful not to hurt it. Kara also seems to be cautious of the canines, but her demeanor as a whole brightens when she sees a cat. It leaps out of a tree and into her arms almost like the two of them had it planned. She spins around and holds it up to Sebastian.

"Doesn't she resemble Medusa with her stripes?" Sebastian scratches the cat under the chin, causing it to purr loudly.

I lower my voice to ask, "Yuki, why are there so many animals? Can you ask them?" I flicker my eyes to the tiny rat in my hands to certify I mean the rats.

"I can't speak with them, unfortunately," he whispers back. Question unanswered, I turn and scan the room again. Other than the wall with the door we just came in through, I can't see the boundaries of the room. The animals seem limitless in number, but the majority are dogs, cats, and horses. I can't imagine how so many animals were gathered here or how they seem to live together without conflict. Mice run with horses, cats snuggle with dogs, and birds perch atop those felines with impunity. Even the rabbits and the snakes get along. It's almost as if all of them are gentle herbivores. It's beautiful, but it's undeniably wrong.

"I think so, too," Kara agrees. I startle, scaring the rodent in my hand.

"Did I say that out loud?" Yuki laughs, and I whack his arm. Not that that shuts him up.

"Well, you're right," Sebastian confirms, eyes gleaming a daunting garnet. "I personally would like to escape as soon as possible."

I can second that. I haven't felt this out of place since my first day in Fruits Basket, or the first week or so when I had first moved in with my aunt and uncle. All I want to do is go back to the house, eat some of Tohru's cooking, and make bets with Shigure about how injured Kyo will be after a fight with Yuki. This isn't the place for me to be.

There's also a creeping sensation floating in the back of my mind telling me we're in danger. What the voice said earlier evades all sense of any kind, and yet it was filled with irrefutable urgency. We're in danger, and if the voice was speaking the truth, we aren't the only ones.

* * *

This chapter was really just the characters confusing themselves all the more, although there are more pieces to the puzzle included here. Unfortunately, I think those pieces will only create more questions, not answer any. That's kind of the point of this story, though. It'll get through the mystery and get more into the adventure part later. I have to get there first, though, before I can post it. This'll be a long book. I can feel it. I'll update again soon.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter will probably serve to baffle you even further, which is pretty much the point of it. There's also a character who I was planning on briefly mentioning but didn't get around to. His name is Dillon, and that's everything about him you would've learned in this chapter if I had found a place to include him. I had a ton of fun writing this chapter probably because it's so cryptic. I have to say that I love it when there's always something you don't know when you're reading. When one question gets answered, five more pop up.

SnowyNeko: I'm hungry. What's for dinner?

Sebastian: Are we planning on eating here?

SnowyNeko: I'm too hungry to go anywhere.

Yuki: Well, I can't cook, so someone else will have to make it.

Sebastian: I can do that.

Lelouch: But what're we going to eat?

SnowyNeko: Chinese!

Yuki: Maybe some rice balls?

Sebastian: So Asian foods?

SnowyNeko: Yes please! ^-^

Lelouch: SnowyNeko doesn't own any of the animes used or their designated characters.

SnowyNeko: Sebastian! Can I help?

* * *

I sit back, releasing a heavy breath. They made it. Bringing them here was risky, but somehow they all appear untouched. I guess that's the power of being abnormal. Still, I was apparently right in assuming they would have headaches.

Yuki and Vierra's arrival was particularly difficult to arrange, due to the fact that I had to first revive Vierra's original body and Yuki had to have an entirely new one. Yuki's body is pretty much an exact replica of his usual one, which isn't too uncommon. I was assigned to help Alice repair Vierra's vacant body, and we did pretty well if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, the fix is only temporary. The deadline for her is the equivalent of about a week. The two bullet holes in her head, for now frozen and hidden by her hair, will once more begin to ooze and rigor mortis will set in again. It won't be pleasant.

Hopefully, this whole ordeal will be over and we can return her soul and her body to their rightful places before that happens. She was the most complicated out of all of them, but that isn't to say it was easy getting the others here.

Tori and Lelouch are completely ignoring the sanctuary, which isn't too surprising, and are in the process of raiding the cabinets for food and water. I'll have to make a note to get it restocked next time any of us head that direction.

It looks like Medusa has found Kara already. The poor thing has been miserable ever since her separation from Marianna, even with how spoiled she is, but Kara's presence should help cheer her up. I doubt she's realized the cat actually _is _Medusa, although she's probably already noticed the similarities. I was speechless when I learned she had fallen in love with a demon, but from what I've seen, he's suitable for her.

The rodents seemed to recognize Yuki's existence as soon as he entered. I had to keep myself from breaking out laughing when they plowed into him like an ocean wave. I understand that they sense their fellow 'rat', but what a welcome!

"How are our heroes faring?" I glance over my shoulder to smile at Lee. His name is actually longer than that, but it's some Asian name that none of us can pronounce, so we just call him Lee. The smile that I give him is the one he always tells me is oh-so-charming.

"This isn't a movie," I tell him, looking back to the screens. "They aren't heroes, and neither are we. There are no villains either."

"Have a little creativity for once," he jokes. He comes up to lean on the back of my chair.

I let out a small chuckle. "Did you forget who came up with this plan in the first place? That took quite a bit of imagination."

"Yup, it seems to have drained you dry of it."

I designate a landing spot for one of our gnat cameras before responding. "For a nine year old, you sure have a sharp tongue," I comment.

"Well, I've had a while to perfect it," he grins. "Jackal wants to speak with you. He wasn't aware your plan involved a demon coming here." He wouldn't have let me carry it out if he had. I push back my chair and point at the screens.

"Keep an eye on them, and don't get any bright ideas. If I come back to find that you've been messing around with them…" I don't have to finish the threat. Jackal has always favorite me, which makes me lucky all the people here are nice enough not to hate me for it. If I report that one of the others (pretty much always Lee) is doing something they're not supposed to, he won't hesitate to bring down the hammer. The others are mindful of this, and need no more than a light warning.

Lee takes my seat and waves me off like he's hot stuff. Leaving the room, I make my way to the gardening facility where Jackal can usually be found. Sure enough, he's attending to the growing wheat. There aren't many native plants here other than grasses or trees, but like us, a few seeds of different natures have been able to get through. Most of them aren't edible, but we do have things like wheat and sugarcane into foods. Still, there are plenty of times when it's challenging to grow them and we end up having to go without. Jackal looks up to meet my eyes. His expression is that of coldness, one that I rarely am condemned to see.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he demands, fists clenched. His only major downfall as a leader is his temper.

"Because," I answer calmly, "I knew you'd reject the plan if I did. This is the only chance we have, Jackal. We can't end this simply because there's a devil involved."

He knocks his fists together, agitated by the lack of punch-able objects. He would never hit anyone else unless we'd gone insane or killed an animal, which is the only rule officially set here.

"Send him back."

"I politely refuse. If we sent him back, Kara would have to go, too. They're souls are bound together, you know? They're just as important as the others."

"So what," he rejects my analysis. "I'm sure it'll work just as well with only the other four." He's being unreasonable and he knows it. With an enemy of his old tribe being so imminent, I'm sure it's clouding his mind. For the first time in decades, he's feeling fear.

"The demon realm has created some of the biggest tears yet, Jackal. It may be meant to be connected, but for the past few thousand years it's begun to _meld._ Whether you like it or not, we need Sebastian and Kara. Their special relationship might just be what we need to fix this, or at least repair it for the time being. I'm afraid that we require the help of a demon, and I'm afraid that demon has to be him. If you won't consider your own life, think of the animals. Think of the rest of us."

I close my argument and let it soak in. My disarming manner has calmed him considerably, so he seems to be seriously contemplating my words. All of it is true, but he's reluctant to acknowledge it. Enlisting the assistance of a demon would be something he'd die before doing….twice.

"Fine, he can stay," he relents, hands trembling. "However, you can't expect me to meet him face to face. I will not talk to evil."

A small smile tugs at the corners of my lips. "Of course. I'll be a middleman between you and them. I doubt they'll mind."

"I'm done speaking with you," he dismisses me, returning to the wheat. I leave without another word. As I'm walking back to the control room, I falter when I hear a loud _bang. _

"Help! Help! It's Arthur!" It's Alice's voice. I break into a run.

I arrive at Arthur's room to find her outside of it, backed against the wall opposite to the door. Directly in front of the door is one of our clay water pitchers, shattered. The door itself is rattling violently. The banging noise is evidently Arthur attacking the door, and I can hear him growling like a feral animal.

"I was just bringing him water!" Alice explains to me, quivering. "He said that he was thirsty, and I remembered that I had forgot to bring him any yesterday. When I tried to give it to him, he freaked out!"

I offer her my hand and help her up, wincing at Arthur's snarling. Through the small barred window of the door, I can see him thrashing about, teeth flashing. If I'm not seeing things, he's also foaming at the mouth a bit, as if he has rabies. If only he did. I approach the door, careful to remain at a distance where he can't reach out and grab me.

"Arthur? Can you hear me at all?" He freezes, his growling mellowing out into a low hiss. "Do you recognize me? Your sister brought you the water you wanted. Are you still thirsty?"

He eyes me warily, as if sizing up an opponent. He stare is one of aggression. Alice says that before he came here, he was the kindest brother anyone could wish for, and I can see it. With warm brown eyes and blonde hair only a few shades darker than his sister's, he's a handsome nineteen-year-old. Nonetheless, I've never seen him without a murderous intent in his eye. Whoever he was before, it isn't him now.

"I'm hungry," he seethes, his heavy British accent clashing with his menacing demeanor. When he's not acting like a vicious animal, the sound of his voice is as soothing as Alice's. The contrast between his inward and outward appearances serves to confuse me more and more each day.

But even with that appeasing voice of his, the words he said sends an alarm blaring in my head, and my blood run ice cold. I lock eyes with Arthur, with the beast inside of him.

He grins.

* * *

I like Arthur. Anyone else? Just me? Okay, that's pretty understandable. First of all, I love British accents. Second of all, I have a tendency to like what others call creepy. I don't see it that way, but plenty of people have pointed out to me that it's odd to them. This cast I introduced this chapter is all my own, and I'm pretty proud of it. So now you know Jackal, Alice, Arthur, and Lee. Actually, Arthur was added as an after note. He wasn't originally going to exist in the story, but he just sort of ended up happening. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to writing about the main characters. I'll type it up as soon as I can.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	5. Chapter 5

I'm sorry it took so long for me to update! I've been extremely busy this week and have had barely any time to type. To make up for it, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. This is from Kara's point of view. You'll probably notice there's a cycle to the point of view for each chapter: Kara, Vierra, Tori. It might get mixed up later on, or it might not. I don't know yet. That's something I myself will discover as I write.

SnowyNeko: I am sorry for abandoning you all!

Lelouch: Everyone needs a little vacation every now and again.

SnowyNeko: It wasn't a vacation! I was writing the whole time!

Yuki: But don't you enjoy doing that?

SnowyNeko: Of course! But I had so many other things going on as well!

Yuki: Such as…?

SnowyNeko: I'm helping direct a play.

Lelouch: That would take up a lot of time.

SnowyNeko: Thank you for understanding. :)

Sebastian: Well, you're back now.

SnowyNeko: But I don't know when I'll be able to update again… ;(

Sebastian: She doesn't own any of the animes or their respectable characters.

* * *

"They're about to leave," Sebastian informs me. Yuki and Vierra glance over at us. "I think it'd be best if we stick together."

I nod in agreement. "Then let's go join 'em. Can I bring the cat?"

"That's up to you, milady." I decide to let the cat choose and set her on the ground. To my satisfaction, she begins to follow me. Back in the room we arrived in, Tori and Zero (the voice called him Lelouch, I think, but the girl keeps addressing him as Zero) are finishing packing a backpack full of food. I guess one of them either came here with one, or they found one lying around.

Vierra and Yuki are odd, but I feel it right to be cautious of the other two. They both seem so serious, and Tori mentioned being at gunpoint earlier. They don't seem like mafia, but they act like wanted people. A thought strikes me and I pull at Sebastian's sleeve.

He leans down and I whisper, "Is it possible that they're Jack the Ripper?"

He chuckles. "I doubt it" I let out a sigh of relief. That's reassuring, but I can't relax. Tori looks up at us as we come out of the sanctuary, noticing the cat.

"I would advise against bringing that," she tells me casually. "It could die."

"It would also mean another mouth to feed," Zero adds.

A slam from behind causes me to whirl. Yuki and Vierra are propping themselves against the sanctuary door, laughing. They're having fun? When Vierra notices our stares, she catches her breath to explain.

"Those animals don't want us to leave!"

"They do all seem to be friendly," Sebastian reports. To everyone else, it probably sounds like a regular observation, but there's a note in his voice that tells me otherwise. Still, I reach down to pet the cat at my feet.

"It's time to move out," Zero announces, turning to go.

"Wait!" Vierra captures our attention yet again. "Before we leave, who are you people? And why and _how _are Yuki and I here?"

Silence. She's dared to ask the question we've all been thinking, and none of us have the answer to. The voice doesn't bother to give us an answer, either. She looks around to each of us, meeting our eyes on by one. When she meets mine, I see not only major confusion, but also a hint of desperation.

"Well?"

Zero finally speaks up. "None of us know why we're here. That's why we're going to find out. As for who I am, I am Zero, the head of the Black Knights."

"Yeah, uhuh, you know what that tells me? Nothing." I stifle a laugh. She's feisty, that one. Tori's expression is one of complete disbelief.

"You seriously don't know who the Black Knights are? Zero, should we tell them if they don't?"

The masked figure flings his cape with a flourish. He's made it quite obvious he has a flare for the dramatic. "We are the Black Knights, who fight for justice and equality! We lead the rebellion against the Britannian empire!"

"Britannian? You mean great Britain?" Neither have the accent, but I've lived there for years and been exposed to it constantly and I don't either. It's also possible they're from out of the country.

"Okay," Vierra accepts the answer with a shake of her head. I have to agree that his overdramatized presentation was a little much.

"I'm Yuki Sohma," the grey haired boy introduces himself. His voice is as unusual as his appearance, beautiful like silver. "And this is Vierra Carter."

When they say nothing else, Tori asks, "Are you two students?" They nod. Tori and Zero whisper to each other, as if trying to decide something. Eventually, they just seem to give up. "Alright, you're Sebastian and Kara, right? What're your last names? Occupations?"

I bite the inside of my cheek, delighted by the fact that for once I actually can bite it, but still deep in thought. I haven't had a use for my last name in so long I've all but forgotten it. If I tell them I don't know my own last name, they're bound to get suspicious.

"My name is Sebastian Michaelis, I am my mistress's servant. Her name is also soon to be Michaelis, as we are engaged."

My eyes widen and I feel the heat flood into my face. "S-Sebastian! We are not-"

"You said yes, did you not?" Words refuse to emerge from my throat. Technically, he did ask me to marry him after I lost my body. I never verbally said yes, but I didn't need to for him to know I'd accepted. Even so, that was centuries ago! With my face cherry red and nowhere to hide it, I grab Sebastian's arm and bury my face in it.

"Stop laughing," I grumble, pinching him.

"You're already engaged?" Vierra sounds surprised. I might find it embarrassing, but aren't most girls around my age at least engaged, if not married? I mean, I kind of assumed she and Yuki were too. Is their culture really so different? Where could they be from?

Tori interrupts my thoughts. "So you're Michaelis. What do you do for a living?"

I step away from Sebastian, straightening my posture with dignity. Though I'm not exactly a British citizen, and I've done no real work, it's still honorable to serve the queen. I respect her as much as any native to the country.

"We work under the Queen of England, assisting a lord often considered to be her guard dog."

"No wonder she has a butler," Vierra mumbles. Her gaze is pretty much uncaring, but slightly impressed, as is Yuki's. Tori just stares at me as if I've become mad. I can't see the expression on Zero's face, but I get the feeling it matches Tori's.

"Since that's been settled," he continues, getting back to business, "we need to get moving."

"If I may," Sebastian interjects, "there are horses in the other room. It'll be much quicker if we choose to ride them."

This catches the attention of the rebel. "There are horses? Well, if there are, we should use them. Are there any saddles?"

I shake my head. "No, but they appear tame enough to ride bareback for the most part. Sebastian, I leave it to you to find us the best."

"Yes, milady." He vanishes back into the sanctuary to fetch them, and I turn back to the others uneasily. I myself am confident I can ride just from knowing the feeling from when Sebastian did it in the past, but I don't know about anyone else. Those who rebel and hide from the government in large groups, in my experience, tend to be the poor and uneducated of the population. There have been a few from high society, but Tori doesn't seem extravagant. Judging by how close the two of them are, they must know each other very well. Therefore, I am lead to the conclusion that they are of the same class. The poor usually have not been taught how to properly ride.

The other two have the same look of peasantry, although the grey haired boy has a bit of an air of grace about him. I'm unfamiliar with their customs, though. Perhaps they come from a place where riding is common knowledge to all, rich or poor.

Still I ask, "Can any of you ride?" To my amazement, all but Vierra reply that they can. I must not be as good at making simple observations as I thought I was. Sebastian returns with two horses. One is a dark mahogany with a white dash on its forehead, the other a gentle dandelion. They step through the large doorway with ease, following Sebastian obediently. He leads them over to Yuki and Vierra.

"Can you control these horses? They are the most docile I could find."

"We can," Yuki assures him. "I've ridden horses much wilder than these."

"I didn't know you could ride," Vierra mentions, petting the dark horse lightly.

"I can, so if you're having trouble you can ride with me." Yuki mounts the blond horse effortlessly. She copies his motion, successfully mounting with a lot less elegance. Confident they can handle 'emselves, Sebastian goes to retrieve more.

"Sebastian, if you can, bring me a white horse," Lelouch requests. "I used to have one of that color." He nods, exits, and comes back with two more; a lovely painted and an agitated grey one.

To Zero he says, "I apologize if this one is too rowdy, but I thought it would suit you." Without a word or hesitation, the masked figure mounts the horse, who whinnies in disapproval but doesn't buck him off. The painted is much calmer when Tori hops on, only glancing back in curiosity.

"Mistress Kara," Sebastian addresses me, "is there a type you would prefer?"

"I trust you'll choose a perfect horse, but do keep in mind I want to bring the cat along as well." He bows and goes to bring back both a large, silver mare, and an equally giant black stallion with fire in its eyes. They're complete opposites, as different as their colors. The midnight one is the roughest I've seen, while the silver stands sophisticated and proud. They are clearly two beasts to be admired.

"I believe this one will provide enough space for the cat to ride with you," Sebastian explains, stroking the silver's nose. I approach the divine beast, awestruck, tentatively reaching out to pet her. Her ocean blue eyes watch me with a sort of ancient wisdom that encourages me.

"She's gorgeous," I breathe. "But she's so tall! How am I to get on without a saddle?"

"Like this, milady." Without warning, Sebastian wraps my arms around my waist and hoists me atop the horse. She turns back to look at me, her eyes holds the affection of a mother. Yes, she is the perfect horse.

Sebastian mounts the one he brought for himself, which immediately begins to buck, snorting and kicking as if the ground has been set on fire. The other horses back away nervously, but mine simply watches with patience. Within a minute, Sebastian has the beast under control and a smirk on his face. He likely specifically chose such a horse because he knew it'd be difficult.

Just then, I realize something with a sigh. "Okay, we've got our horses. Who's going to open the door so we can ride out?" We sit in a moment of silence, none of us really wanting to dismount.

"Not to worry, Milady." Sebastian has his horse trot to the doors and turn back towards us. All of the sudden, the black beast bucks again and knocks the door out of its frame. I, along with Vierra, burst into laughter. Whoever is running this probably isn't going to be-

"Hey! Do you know how long it took to make that door?" –very happy. The voice is back. "I beg of you to resist destroying anything else, manmade or not! Please just hurry and get here!"

Zero responds. "Where exactly is the main compound? All is see is grass."

Sure enough, outside is nothing but grassland. The only building in sight is the humongous one we just came out of, but again, there are plenty of animals. Near us, for example, is a large pack of wolves that shows no interest in chasing after the hares. Instead, they lie in the shade of the building and wrestle with each other.

"See that tree line over to your right?" We all look to see a thin, dark line on the horizon resembling trees. "Even with horses, I suspect you'll have to spend a night out there, but the main compound is straight beyond those trees. We're expecting you tomorrow morning, so you'd better get going. Have a safe trip!"

Zero's horse abruptly freaks out, drawing our attention. A little, scaly thing with jagged teeth emerges from the grasses, making weird little gaggling sounds.

"Oh! I forgot to mention there are dinosaurs outside."

* * *

Yay! Dinosaurs! 'What' you say? It's part of the mystery! I love writing about animals. In pretty much every book I write, the main character has some sort of pet or animal that they're close to. I guess I just like animals. I don't know how attached to these horses I should get, though. Even I don't know how long I'll be using them. That's just a heads up for you guys. It's not going to be a tragic 'all the horses die' or something, either. Not to worry.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	6. Chapter 6

I realized after I posted that I gave you the wrong order of view points. It goes Kara, Tori, and _then_ Vierra. I hope I didn't confuse anyone. So that makes this one from Tori's point of view. This chapter is also pretty long. Hopefully I'll get past the mystery and to the adventure soon, but before that, I think I'll make it more puzzling! XD I'm really enjoying writing this mystery, and don't want it to end sooner than it has to. But the story must go on. I'm not so sure I'll be as good at the adventure part, cause that's kind of new to me, too. I'll try though!

Yuki: So, what kind of adventure will you be putting us into?

SnowyNeko: That's a secret.

Lelouch: Just make sure it's nothing stupid.

SnowyNeko: I know. I'm not going to make you chase after lost treasure or something like that.

Sebastian: That could be interesting, though.

SnowyNeko: It depends on how you write it, and no ideas come to me from that.

Sebastian: Keep thinking, then.

SnowyNeko: I'll consider it.

Lelouch: Will it be dangerous?

SnowyNeko: Probably. :)

Yuki: Miss author does not own any of the animes or their characters.

* * *

"_What_?" The horse beneath me sits steady, but I almost loose my balance. You're telling me that thing's a dinosaur? As utterly ridiculous as it sounds, the lizard creature certainly looks like one. It ogles us for a few more seconds before bolting off again into the grasslands, and out of sight.

"They're probably just mutations of some sort," Lelouch rationalizes. "Science experiments."

"I'd love to agree, Lelouch, but I think those are real." When Yuki uses Zero's actual name, I flinch. I was hoping they'd missed it when the voice had mentioned it, but apparently they didn't.

Sebastian buts in. "I can confirm that they are." How he can tell, I don't know or care, really. No one talks, processing this new information quietly. I would swear that today couldn't get any weirder, except that'd be jinxing it. I shake it off, sitting straighter on my horse.

"We'd better make the most of our time, then," I state. "I don't want to be out here more than we have to and wind up running into a prehistoric carnivore." I kick my horse and it takes off in a paced trot. I can hear the hoof beats of the others as they follow behind. Lelouch falls in line next to me, his restless steed matching my speed step for step.

I've always seen horses as beautiful giants, even the most quick-tempered ones, but even the touch white horse appears delicate when compared to either the silver or the midnight beasts. The two of them are easily the best of the bunch, but neither have the appropriate personality. The brighter of the two seems calm at first glance, but I've spent enough time with such steeds to know she's the type to pick her own rider. She wouldn't have allowed someone like Lelouch or me on her back, or someone as enthusiastic as Vierra. Her choice of Kara shows that she levitates towards the innocent, sweet type. As much as I'd absolutely love to have a horse like that, I could never ride her.

The horse of black is equally out of my reach, its imperfections even more prominent. Sebastian may act submissive in front of his mistress, but to me, it's obvious he's just about the exact opposite. That hint of danger mixed with dominance that he has is the entire reason he can conquer that wild stallion.

The painted horse I ride is rather pretty, although that's unnoticeable when she's so close to such other horses. She is also fairly petite. Even though I may have preferred one of the other horses, I am thoroughly enjoying myself. When I left the villa, one of the few things I especially missed was the horses. Technically, I could go back and visit anytime. It's just that with both school and the Black Knights, I don't have any free time. After this is over, I think I'll go see them. Clovis's horses were surely transferred into my stables, and they're probably distraught by the absence of their owner. I doubt anyone has bothered to inform them of their master's death.

"Is something on your mind?" Lelouch worries.

I quickly regain my composure and smile at him sadly. "I was just missing my horses. Cleo's grown pretty old, but she's still my favorite. I'm afraid she might grow sick while I'm away and I won't be able to go to her."

"Did you keep my horse after I left?"

"Of course! Charlemagne lived a happy life, but I think he missed you as much as I did."

"Lived?" Cleopatra has always been the better of the two, and although she's mine, Lelouch rode her more than he did his own. Even so, he still cared for his horse.

"He died last year of old age," I inform him regretfully. "I was there when it happened." I can't see him under his mask, but he looks away anyway. He won't shed a tear over a mere pet, but he loved Charlemagne.

I raise my head to the sky that's already turning orange. The sheer lack of clouds is astounding, as is the stillness. Other than the many animals dotted around, nothing moves. Even the air sits stationary. It feels like we've stepped into a painting. As we ride, more of the dog-sized lizards (I refuse to call them dinosaurs) appear. Some are larger than the first. Others are smaller. Some are scaled and others furry. At one point, a huge, long necked reptile emerges from the faraway trees to our left. It spends its time grazing from the top branches before slowly plunging back into the forest.

For the time that it's out, I examine it the best I can from this distance. It doesn't act mechanical. The movements are fluid enough to be considered natural, but it can't really be a dinosaur…can it? My horse comes to a sudden stop, demanding my attention. Lelouch has guided his steed to a stop in front of all of us.

"It's nearly dark. If we don't begin to set up camp, we won't get one to sleep in."

"Question." Vierra raises her hand. "How are we setting up a camp? It's not like we have a tent to pitch."

"We'll sleep under the stars," he tells her. "Kara, is it possible you have a change of clothes? I don't think you'd want to get a dress like that dirty."

Sebastian answers for her. "Please don't worry about it. I will take care of her."

"Good." Even if she claims to serve the queen of a country that no longer exists, there is a possibility she does have power. Lelouch could find it useful to be on good terms with her.

"The forecast tonight is one of a constant 73 degrees. That should make it comfortable enough for all of you. And I'm sorry about the lack of pillows." How is the voice able to follow us out here? Yuki asks for me.

"How are you here? Where are you coming from?"

"Ah, I forgot to explain, didn't I?" the voice realizes. "My voice is coming from a robotic gnat. This technology is usually pretty useless, but they're helpful for keeping track of things. Plus, I can talk to you like this." Sebastian's hand darts into the air and grabs something, showing it to Kara. "Don't just grab it like that! These things are fragile!"

"Don't fret," he ensures it, "I'm not going to crush it."

"I don't care if you can control your demonic strength! Let it go!" His eyes flash and he instantly releases the miniscule robot. Kara shifts in her seat. I scrutinize Sebastian out of the corner of my eye as he helps his mistress down off her horse. Demonic strength, huh? He doesn't look particularly strong. Not only is he lean, but also pale, indicating he doesn't spend a lot of time in the sun, working. If I were to guess, I'd say I'm the only one here who could fight with fists and win. The others are all just so…breakable. I'll be the first to admit, though, that the look in Sebastian's eyes is intimidating. I've never seen eyes such a brilliant red, almost as if they really are demonic.

I dismount after Lelouch, unzipping my backpack. Under the sink we'd discovered a couple of blankets, but that's all we're going to have for bedding. The biggest will have to be spread beneath us so we don't have to lay directly on the ground, but the other three will have to be shared accordingly.

As I pass out the blankets to the other girls, Sebastian and Yuki wander off to find wood to build a fire. Lelouch tries to tend to the horses, but other than his own, they all refuse him. It must be difficult to control so many without reigns to grab onto. I chuckle, watching his desperate attempt to calm Sebastian's beast. I instruct Kara and Vierra on how to set up the sleeping area, and go over to offer some assistance.

"It might help if you take off your mask," I advise, coming up from behind. "To them you probably look like an alien."

Without turning, he sighs. "I'll have to take it off to sleep, anyway." He reaches up to take it off and turns to face me. While it might help him handle the horses, I just wanted him to take it off to see his face. His dark hair falls lazily around his violet eyes and his pale skin is almost doll-like in a way. A familiar picture in a messed up world.

Unable to help myself, I grab him and pull his face down to kiss him. His arms wrap around me gently, his lips, I can feel, smiling.

"Now isn't the time for this," he scolds me.

"You don't sound very convincing," I remark.

He traces my lips with hid thumb, his expression amused. "As much as I love it, there are other things we need to focus on." He suddenly becomes grim. "I don't like our companions. They give me a bad feeling."

"Same with me," I confess, resting my head on his shoulder. "You think they could be other geass users?"

"They could be, but I don't think so. I don't think they're from the Britannian military either."

The girls definitely aren't involved with anything that serious. Just one glance at their eyes was enough to tell me they're both practically see through. If they lie, I'll be able to see it. The boys, on the other hand, both seem skilled at hiding want they want to hide. I can't bring myself to trust them.

"Hey!" Vierra calls to us. I lift my head. "What's going to be for dinner? I'm starving!" I leave the stubborn horses to Lelouch, reluctantly leaving his embrace, and begin digging around the backpack again. All the food in the building had been dry, which made it easier to carry.

"We've got crackers, cheese, and a lot of uncooked rice," I inform them. "There's also a bag of dried strawberries."

"No meat?" Kara wonders, looking a little disappointed.

Vierra whines, "No chocolate?"

"If we want meat, there are plenty of animals around," Yuki points out. He and Sebastian set down their collected wood, which isn't very much. That's to be expected without any trees around. We'll have to use the grass around us, which looks dry enough to burn, and try not to start a prairie fire by accident.

"No can do," the voice tells us. "You're not allowed to kill any animals here. That's the only rule we have, so it'd be appreciated if you'd follow it.

"Well, it wouldn't be so bad if we _had something to cook the rice in,"_ I accuse. The voice relapses into silence.

"Tori, we can use my helmet." Lelouch offers it to me, and after a second I take it. It's made well enough not to melt or blacken when exposed to heat, but it'll be way too hot to touch by the time the rice is ready. We'll have to eat it cold, or at least cool.

Sebastian extends his hand to me. "I shall take care of the cooking." I readily hand him the sack of rice and, more hesitantly, the mask.

"What about Athena?" Kara asks.

"The goddess?" That girl really is insane, then.

She laughs, stopping abruptly when a small snort escapes her. "My horse! I can't just call her 'horse' the entire time, can I?"

"Why not?" Lelouch inquires. "It's not like we'll be able to keep any of them." I look over at my own horse. I understand Lelouch's reasoning, but it would make sense to give them names.

"I'll call mine Iris," I decide, munching on a cracker.

"Why?"

I shrug. "I like the name."

"Mine's Almond!" Vierra declares. "I already named him while we we're riding.

Yuki gazes at his blonde horse. "I don't really know-"

"How about Pudding?" Vierra interrupts. It sounds to me like she was already planning on calling it that anyway. He smiles at her sweetly.

"Okay then, I guess mine is Pudding."

"I'll name mine Kelpie, if we're naming them," Sebastian concludes from his place by the fire. I glance over at Lulu. He shakes his head, but names his horse anyway.

"Ghost." Ghost nickers, as if obstinately admitting he likes his new name. Horses are nice companions, but not exactly fit for battle. One his from a knightmare and they'd be down. It saddens me to know I won't be able to take Iris with me when I get out of this.

As the sun sets below the horizon, I wonder just how long we'll be here.

* * *

How long will it be? I'm not sure myself. And as for the horses, I just had to name them! Here's a list of whose horses are whose so there's no confusion.

Iris-Tori's

Ghost-Lelouch's

Almond-Vierra's

Pudding-Yuki's

Kelpie-Sebastian's

Athena-Kara's

That's just in case anyone (including me) gets them mixed up. These past few chapters have been pretty long, so the next few might get kind of short. I'll try not to do that, but that's usually how things work out. I just thought I'd warn you.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	7. Chapter 7

This one might be a bit creepy of you understand all of it, but that seems to be what I'm good at. I started a new book recently and haven't really had time to write, but I should finish it soon since it isn't too long. One thing I've noticed while reading is that the word 'said' is used way to much, as is 'asked'. I mean seriously? There are so many words to replace those that would be so much more descriptive. Even though I enjoy the stories I read, when I see those used repetitively over and over again, I get annoyed. Widen your vocabulary, people!

SnowyNeko: We should have a party on St. Patrick's day.

Lelouch: Another one?

Yuki: Sounds interesting. Should we bring something?

SnowyNeko: The girls and I will take care of the food.

Sebastian: I could help with that, too.

SnowyNeko: Perfect! We could use the help! Tori's the only one of us who's decent at cooking.

Yuki: I could bring sparkling wine.

SnowyNeko: And Lelouch can wear his kitty cosplay!

Lelouch: *mumbles* I swear I'm going to throw that thing out after I burn it.

SnowyNeko: Don't you dare!

Lelouch: She doesn't own the animes or their characters.

* * *

The second Sebastian calls that the rice is ready, I dash to the fire. I haven't felt this hungry since the days when dad would forget to feed me when I was little. At Cassidy's house and in Fruits Basket, I never had to go hungry due to their surplus of food. The last I ate was some of Tohru's stir-fry for lunch, but I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks.

I watch Sebastian lift the rice from the fire and wonder just how hot the helmet is. His gloves must be heat resistant or something. We don't have any bowls or utensils, so we use the crackers to scoop out the rice. In my haste, I accidently bump the side of the helmet and jerk back, hissing. Holy crap that's hot! Even if Sebastian's gloves are resistant to heat, his hands must've been scorched! Yuki stops eating and takes my hand in his, examining the burn.

After a moment, he kisses it. "It's nothing serious," he tells me, "but be careful."

I eat more than anyone else. Sebastian insists he isn't hungry, and Kara barely eats at all, complaining of a stomachache, so I gobble down their shares as well. Yuki doesn't eat much either, but I sum it up to anxiety.

When he comments on my gluttonous behavior, I say, "I know, but I still feel starved! Is there any more?"

"Yes, but we're saving it for breakfast." Tori glares at me. "You can't eat it all now."

"No, I understand," I back down. Even with all the cheese, rice, and crackers I've stuffed in, my stomach still feels ravenous, eating me from the inside out. It's an awful feeling, but not quite sickening. I should be okay. Suddenly, I let out a huge yawn and lean back into Yuki, eyelids heavy.

"I'm tired," I grumble weakly.

Yuki chuckles. "If you pass out here, I won't be able to carry you to bed, you know?"

"Yeah." I lift my arms towards the sky. "Help me up." He stands, grabbing both of my hands. He's cautious not to grasp my burn too hard as he hoists me up. Staggering, with support with Yuki, I make my way to my 'bed' for the night.

"Did you wear yourself out?" Yuki asks. "You've been pretty lively this afternoon." I give a bobbing nod in response, yawning again. Today has definitely been weird. I guess my body's reacting to the change by going a little whacko. Yuki lowers me down slowly onto the blanket and, before he can let go, I yank him down with me. He catches himself next to me, propping himself on his elbows.

"Stay," I mumble, grabbing the front of his shirt. He glances back in the direction of the fire and sighs, consenting. He lays down facing me. We clasp our hands between us and I curl up, drained of energy.

"Yuki, are you okay?" I wonder absently. I've been meaning to ask him, but there hasn't been an ounce of free time, let alone time to ourselves. This world isn't anything like his own, and I've begun to question if this is even my world. I mean, dinosaurs? And the animals are all acting strange.

"I'm alright," he reassures me. "It's just…where are we? Why does it look so different?"

I'm suddenly wide-awake. I've been hoping I'd never have to explain this to him, my arrival in Fruits Basket and the different worlds. How would he respond? Should I tell him now? I convinced the Sohmas I still couldn't remember where I'm from. Yuki knows about my family situation, but I blatantly lied when he asked if I'd recalled where I lived. I was under the impression I wouldn't have to worry about it, but that's come back to bite me. My mind, now out of its fog, rushes to find a solution. I have to explain, but how? _I _don't understand what's going on.

I squeeze his hand. "Yuki, I'm about to tell you something you'll never believe in a million years, but please hear me out."

His eyes widen a bit, but he nods for me to go on. I take a deep breath. I'm about to sound insane, but the truth is nothing less.

"This is where I'm from," I tell him, meeting his gaze in the dimness. "No particularly from _here_, but a place like this. These sorts of colors and textures are what I was born into. This is what I actually look like. I have no idea why I first went to…your world, but it was as confusing for me then as it is for you now." I wait for his response nervously.

To my relief, he only smiles. "So you're an alien?"

"I don't think so. I live on earth too, but I don't think they're the same. There's also a Japan, Australia, and America. I come from the U.S."

"Then why do you speak Japanese so fluently?"

"I don't. When you or Shigure or anyone else talks, I hear English. When I speak, I hear English."

Now he's confused. "I hear Japanese. How is that possible?"

"How is your turning into a rat possible? I don't know, it just is. All I know is that now, when I'm unconscious, in this world, I'm conscious in yours."

"You mean you've been unconscious all this time?" He lifts his head, voice alarmed. "Are you sick?"

My breathing comes ragged. This is the worst part. I just know he's going to freak out when he hears it.

"For the first few weeks, yes. I was in a coma after I tripped down the stairs. That's how I broke my arm."

"The first few weeks? And after?"

"When that girl hit my head at prom I woke up, but not entirely. I could return a bit when I slept, and could hear you talking to me. I wasn't really here or there. I was stuck in between." Before I realize it, a tear slips down my cheek. It was frightening, being in two worlds and belonging in neither. There was no way I could live like that. "When I was in a coma in your world, I was in the hospital in mine. When I finally got out I…I wanted to go back to you and the others. I wanted to stay there."

He visibly stiffens, tightening his hand around mine. "Did you do something to yourself? Tell me you didn't."

"Yuki…I shot myself."

"Are you an idiot?" He bolts upright, eyes frightened. The background noise from the campfire ceases. "Why?"

I put a finger to my lips, wincing. He nearly never raises his voice like this. "That's not the problem. I died and returned to your world to stay. I'm confident I didn't survive a direct shot through my skull. Get the picture?"

"It's not a pleasant one."

"Yuki. I didn't survive in this world, so how am I here?"

He blinks, stunned as if he's just been slapped. I give him a _now do you get it_ look. Slowly, he sinks back to the ground, his expression dazed.

"You're probably here the same way I went to your world, however that was, but how am _I _here? How and why?"

He shakes his head. "I get why you didn't tell me this," is all he says. At that, I crack a smile.

"Yeah," I giggle. "It sounds like I belong in an asylum."

"If you belong there, I do too. The guy who turns into a rat. I hope we get cells next to each other."

I punch his arm lightly. "You idiot. It's not crazy if it's true."

Well, the truth is pretty crazy if you ask me." He startles me with a kiss out of nowhere.

"I never asked." I snuggle against his chest, growing drowsy again. The faint voices of the others, which resumed shortly after Yuki's outburst, don't drown out the lulling crackling of the fire. Yuki's breathing has slowed to an even pace, and I can hear the steady beat of his heart. Somewhere in the distance, cicadas and crickets join their music together in a gentle harmony. Really, the only thing that would make this better would be an actual pillow, but Yuki's arm isn't that bad either.

Gradually, the sounds from the campfire fade away as the others retire to their 'beds'. From what I can tell, Sebastian is the last one awake and the one to put out the fire. The prairie is plunged into darkness. A couple of the others fall deep enough asleep to snore. Even so, I'm nestled up by Yuki, conscious.

My body is heavy, but my mind won't stop running. I groggily try to sort out my thoughts, but they all doggedly avoid getting caught. They all point to one thing, though: the gunshot. I'm almost entirely certain that it killed me, or at least, my body. _Is_ it possible for me to be back in it? I pulled the trigger, and it undoubtedly fired. As disgusting as it is, I probably blew half my brains out.

I grimace. Would it be possible to fix me up exactly how I was? With current medical science, that's highly unlikely. If they did somehow save me, I imagine I'd be mentally handicapped for life. In all the confusion of my thoughts, one word comes to mind. How?

Of its own accord, my hand wanders up to my head. Okay, if they really fixed me up, there's probably a bump or a scar where the bullet went in and came out. I placed the gun right about here, so the injury would be around...

I let out an ear-piercing scream.

* * *

I would scream too, probably. Either that, or I'd gag and rip my hand away. I feel really sorry for Vierra. The way this storyline is going, she's not going to have a very pleasant time. Poor girl's gonna end up with some serious trauma. Although, I guess she's already had a tragic childhood. She isn't very lucky, is she? I'll have to have something great happen to her somewhere along the line to balance it all out.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	8. Chapter 8

And back to Kara's point of view! We're getting close to having the mystery solved. I wonder if any of you can figure out what's going on. If you have any theories, I'd love to hear them. Once the mystery portion is solved, we can finally get to the adventure part! -which I have no idea how I'm going to write. I baked a cake today. I had a dream about it last night and I woke up wanting to bake. I'm going to try the recipe my dream suggested and hope it doesn't end up a master failure. Wish me luck!

Sebastian: What type of cake?

SnowyNeko: Lemon. I was lucky enough to already have mix in the pantry.

Yuki: What kind of frosting?

SnowyNeko: None.

Lelouch: None?

SnowyNeko: I'm using jam instead!

Sebastian: That's an interesting choice.

SnowyNeko: Yupperdoodles. And I have no idea how it'll turn out.

Lelouch: ...Well, save us some if it's good.

Yuki: She doesn't own the animes or the characters from them.

SnowyNeko: Which is too bad. ;(

* * *

The last of the food is distributed just as the sun breaks over the horizon. When Lelouch offers some to me, I politely turn it down. On the inside, though, I'm starting to panic. One of the things I missed the most about having my own body was the ability to eat and taste, and yet the idea of putting anything like that in my mouth now disgusts me. I finally have the chance to be at least partially normal and I can't eat. Drinks, too, pose a challenge.

Everything they insist I have, I take, and then give it to the cat. For the time being, I've been calling her Medusa. She doesn't eat it either, preferring to bury it like a dog would. Any water I gift to her is used to clean her fur. Sebastian has voiced his concern, but I've only waved it off. I would love it if he could help me, but I get the feeling he won't be able to do anything about it.

"Mistress, do you think you are well enough to ride?" His eyes glimmer red with worry. I lift Medusa into my arms and snuggle her against my chest. She shows her appreciation with a humming purr.

"Yes, I'm alright," I outright lie, averting my eyes. "We should be leaving soon, if we are to get there when they expect us." I know he can tell that I'm troubled, but I'm still capable of riding on my own. Still, that doesn't make it possible for me to mount on my own. If he decides I'm to ride with him, I won't order him to change his mind. I close my eyes as my feet leave the ground, opening them again once I'm firmly seated. He chose to let me ride alone.

I set Medusa behind me and do my best not to look at the ground. All these years of residing in a practically invincible demon's body hasn't cured my fear of heights. I can't help but think that I'll fall off Athena. She is by far the tallest horse that I have ever encountered.

My heartbeat slows down a bit when I meet the horse's gentle gaze. She won't let me fall. Even if I did by chance, Sebastian would be there to catch me. There isn't anything for me to worry about.

Once everyone has mounted, we recommence our journey. From the looks of it, it shouldn't be more than an hour or so before we reach the forest. Above our heads, both birds and dinosaurs soar together. It's definitely one of the oddest sights I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. The others appeared reluctant to believe they're actually dinosaurs, but to be honest, I think the existence of demons is more unusual. There's scientific evidence that the prehistoric creatures actually existed at one point. On the other hand, demons have always been merely an idea or religious belief to humanity. You'd think they'd be sooner to accept the dinosaurs. Then again, our travel companions do not know Sebastian's true identity, so I can't gage their reactions. I expect they won't be discovering it anytime soon.

"What're you thinking about?" I startle from the sudden voice, glancing to see one of the robotic gnats resting on my shoulder. I'm tempted to swat it away, but I'm not entirely sure our captor wouldn't hurt us somehow in anger. The tiny mechanical insects are not something we can mess with.

"It's nothing," I whisper, so the others can't hear. Sebastian, of course, can, but I'm not concerned about that.

The voice pursues farther. "Please? You have no idea how boring it is to just sit here and keep an eye on you guys. It has to be done, though."

"Why?" I inquire. "Can't you just let us alone and wait for our arrival?"

"I told you it'd all be explained once you get here. You can ask your questions then, and we'll give the answers to the best of our abilities."

"Am I allowed to ask how many of you are there?"

"You're allowed to ask anything you'd like," the voice laughs. "That doesn't mean you'll get an answer. I'd tell you if I could, but I have to respect the higher up. If we don't maintain the rules here, it'd be chaos! I don't really have much of a choice but to obey the boss. I like them, though, so that makes things easier."

"So you're going to keep us all in the dark until we get there?"

A sigh. "I'll tell you what. I guarantee that once you all get here, you'll be glad you came. I know that doesn't tell you much, but we won't do anything to you if you refuse us. You'll regret it, though. I can promise you all of that."

"We're here," Lelouch announces. He and his horse are the ones leading the group, and they're already halfway into the trees. I blink in surprise. That was quick. I guess I got lost in my thoughts and lost track of time. We all come to a stop, sitting around in silence and waiting for the voice to give us more directions.

"Keep going straight and you'll come to a clearing. There'll be a giant tree in the middle of it, and a door in the trunk. It's the entrance to the main compound."

The skinny, dark haired boy in the lead looks to the rest of us for the 'go ahead'. We all give it to him, most of us nodding and Vierra giving him a thumbs up. He nods in return, turning his horse back to face the trees. With a gentle kick to its sides, it dives into the overgrowth. We follow in suit, our clumped up group transforming into a stretched out line. I fall in line behind Tori, Yuki behind me. Sebastian volunteers to pick up the rear.

No surprisingly, the forest is teeming with life. Birds, lizards, rabbits, deer, and so many more species fill the foliage to the brim. The trail we're creating appears to be the only one around, which makes me wonder how those in the main compound get around.

Soon enough, there's a break in the abundance of trees and we pour into the opening the voice had mentioned. My mouth drops open when I see the size of the centering tree. It's thicker and taller than any tree I've seen, making the majestic giant pillars of roman architecture appear diminutive. I'd say about five giant oak trees could fit inside of it without problems, still with room to shove in a smaller tree. I glance around to see the others' reactions, only to discover them all looking upwards. Baffled, I follow their gazes to find what has their attention. High in the tree, where the branches reside, there's a simple door carved into the trunk.

"How are we supposed to get up there?" Yuki wonders aloud. No one has the answer.

"By chance," the voice questions, "can any of you climb very well? Other than you, Sebastian." A little hesitant, Vierra raises her hand. "All of _us_ have learned how to climb trees like this and think nothing of it, so it's kind of fun to have our entrance in such a place. Again, I apologize. I didn't consider that most of you cannot scale things like we do. Vierra, do you think you can make it up?"

"I…it'll be hard, but I think I could. I won't be able to open the door, though."

"There's a button on the right side of it that functions as a handhold. If you can get to it and press it, all you'll have to do is climb inside when the door swings open. There's a floor right inside of the door, so don't think you'll fall down the inside of the trunk."

Sloppily, Vierra dismounts Almond. She approaches the enormous tree cautiously, finding a handhold for her foot to start climbing. Once she gets comfortable, she begins her ascent. I watch in fascination as she covers feet in seconds, flying up the smooth-looking bark. Who would've known she'd had such a talent? It takes her a few minutes, and she fumbles a few times, but she finally reaches the door. She stops for a moment, searching, then moves her hand to a new place. The brown door swings outward and she inches into the safety inside the tree.

"And what about us?" Tori demands. "It's not like we can do that."

The voice kindly rewards us with a response. "That, I leave up to Sebastian. If you'll allow him to carry you, he should be able to bring you up one by one."

I flinch. Whoever our captors are, they know Sebastian is a demon, and they don't seem to care if the others with us find that out. I'm sure Sebastian wouldn't mind, but finding out a demon has been traveling with them won't be the best news they could receive. I'm not exactly comfortable with them knowing that, either.

"Shall I, Milady?" Sebastian queries. He extends his hand to me, his intention clearly for me to be the first one he carries up. With a sigh, I take his hand.

"I don't see any way around it," I admit with reluctance. That signature smirk of his spreads across his face. He lifts me into his arms, to which Lelouch protests.

"How are you supposed to climb without you hands? It would be better to carry her on your back." Sebastian just grins. I wrap my arms around his neck, trying to think of how comfortable this is rather than how high up I'll be in a moment time. I can finally hold him with arms of my own! I can feel his skin and see his smile. It's everything could've hoped for.

And then he jumps. With every step, he pushes off in a tiny bound. I crack open my eyes, curious as to why is only feels like we're running. What I see is the ground, getting farther away from us. I let out a squeak when I realize he's running up the side of the tree without any trouble. My grip immediately tightens and my eyes fly shut.

"Mistress Kara, we've stopped." I can hear the smile in his tone. I trust we have, but I can't unfurl myself from my position in his arms or seem to open my eyes. Sebastian unlatches my arms and sets me down, where a hand on my shoulder startles me.

"You're afraid of heights?" Vierra muses, a little disbelieving.

I brush off her hand, pride coming into play. "So? Everyone is afraid of something." I flush a deep red when she and Sebastian laugh.

"Milady, I will be back soon with the others." He takes a step backwards and falls from our view.

Vierra scrambles to the edge. "Sebastian!"

* * *

If you haven't noticed, I try to have every character say at least one thing in every chapter. It's pretty hard with six characters. This is my first time with such a large cast. I'm much more used to having only around three main characters to work with, so this doubles my usual. It's pretty fun, though! It's fun to experiment with different characters and genres to get a knack for each of them. Then I can combine all of them how I like in any way and get something decent out if it. I can't wait to get them inside the compound so we can begin the actual adventure!

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	9. Chapter 9

I just sat here for a couple of hours and typed this out without first writing it, so I'm sorry if there are errors in grammar or something. This is from Tori's point of view. I want to inform everyone that I might not post again this week because I'll be gone on a trip. I'm leaving for it tonight and wanted to post something before I left. If I see a chance to type and post before then, I promise to take it. You know what they really need? An app for Microsoft Word on the phone. If I could type on my phone and then transfer it to the computer and vice versa, that'd be really helpful.

SnowyNeko: I've been trying to eat healthier lately, but it's really hard.

Lelouch: Well, then I guess that St. Patrick's day party didn't really help.

SnowyNeko: Nope. I had apple pie and red velvet cake. And ice cream.

Sebastian: If you had told me beforehand, I could've made healthier things.

SnowyNeko: But I like sweets...

Lelouch: You could just try exercising more.

SnowyNeko: Like you're one to talk. :P

Yuki: You could have someone else cook for you so you don't add unnecessary sugar.

SnowyNeko: I can't do that when I go out to eat, though.

Sebastian: Then you have quite a problem, don't you.

Yuki: She doesn't own Fruits Basket, Code Geass, or Black Butler.

SnowyNeko: You'd think this food thing wouldn't be such a big deal.

* * *

My mouth is stuck agape when Sebastian lands lithely in front of us. To be able to climb a tree like that at all, let alone carrying another person with you, should be impossible. The laws of physics all deny it. To be able to accomplish such a feat…he can't possibly be human! And to jump down from that high up and land on your feet without issue just adds to the unfeasibility of it all. Both of the boys around me manage to keep their mouths shut, but they too are staring in disbelief.

"You are welcome to gawk all you want," Sebastian notifies us, "but it's a horrible waste of time. Who's next?" My mouth snaps shut and I turn to Lelouch. I'm not entirely sure this is such a good idea, and apparently he thinks the same. Neither of us steps forward.

Instead, Yuki does. "I guess I will, but is there any other way than being carried like a princess? I despise being treated like one."

Sebastian laughs. "I can carry you on my back. I warn you, though, it'll be easier the other way for both of us." Yuki pauses, considering this. It doesn't look safe in the first place. If Sebastian says it'll be even more dangerous, then…

"Fine," Yuki consents. Sebastian whips him into his arms without a second to spare and flashes up the tree again. This time, not caught off surprise, I study his movements. He only uses the tips of his toes to push off the tree bark and propel him upwards, and he keeps a straight path. He doesn't swerve to the side even for one step, because if he did, he'd fall. From what I see, he's doing something impossibly possible, if that makes any sense. It shouldn't be possible, as I've pointed out before, but if he does it exactly right, giving his feet the perfect angle and putting the precise pressure on the tree consistently throughout his climb, I guess he could do it. Even so, the likelihood of him preforming all of it strictly as needed is around .01 in a trillion. Times that by four for the number of trips he'll take (Kara, Yuki, Lelouch, and me), and the chances of him getting us all there safely is even more nonexistent than before. Still, he has the confidence of having done it a thousand times.

"Are we safe doing this?" I whisper to Lelouch. We don't have much time to decide whether or not to go through with this. Sebastian should be back down here any second, the way he sails up the vertical plane.

He shakes his head. "Normally I'd say no, and statistics support that answer, but what choice do we have at this point? He's got the other two where we need to be without trouble, so I'm not going to say it's safe, but I'm going to do it. I'll go next." When he says the last line, he isn't speaking to me. I halfway jump out of my skin when I turn and see Sebastian standing there. He picks up Lelouch the same as the others and I can't help but snicker.

"Shut up, Tori," Lelouch snaps, looking away. Lelouch has always been slender for a boy, and undeniably pretty, but when a guy holds him like that, he legitimately looks like a girl. One could actually mistake him for someone of the opposite gender!

And then they're back on the trail up the tree. I look up to the alcove where the other three are, only seeing Vierra and Yuki. Kara must be deeper inside. Yuki notices my stare and waves. I wave back. I wonder what his secret is. I felt an air about him about as unnatural as Sebastian's, and now I've seen proof that Sebastian's beyond ordinary. I have no doubts that that Sohma kid is hiding something at least equally as strange.

Another moment passes before Sebastian is back to pick me up. He sweeps me off my feet, gentler than he did with Yuki and Lulu. I fold my arms against my chest, glaring at him. If he dares touch anything he shouldn't, I won't hesitate to slap him so hard that we both fall. I've seen more than my fair share of perverts.

He smirks, as if he can tell what I'm thinking, and takes off. I do my best not to think of just how dangerous this is, but the feeling of weightlessness distracts me entirely. It's amazing! He's easily going faster than any knightmare, and I can't help but feel as light as air! I close my eyes, imagining that if I were a bird, this is how it would feel. I've never envied an animal before, but now I can understand how someone could. It would be heaven to be able to do this all the time.

As abruptly as it begins, it stops. I open my eyes and find we're inside the tree. Lelouch grabs me out of Sebastian's arms and pulls me into his.

"I was so worried he'd mess up and you'd fall," he murmurs painfully. Surprised, I accept his sudden embrace. It's not like him to be affectionate in front of others. "And," he adds, "I don't like seeing you in another guy's arms." So that's what this is about. I hide my grin in his shoulder as he glares at Sebastian. Who knew he was this protective over his girl? Then again, he's always been that sort of person.

The voice interrupts our tender moment. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to reach out and close the door, we can proceed. Sebastian does so. When the door clicks shut, a light flickers on. It's only an oil lamp, but it provides all the visibility needed. Then, the floor starts to move.

"An elevator?" Vierra gasps. I'd figured it out the moment I'd stepped in here. The edges of the platform we're standing on doesn't connect to the walls, and in the corners, there are vertical crevices for the ceiling and floor to stick into to connect with mechanical devices that allows this to move up and down. It'll have to move fast, though. There doesn't seem to be any way to renew the air inside of here. What I see is ingenious work, but the real question is how the tree is still living. The trunk has been all but hollowed out, so how are the leaves still green and the wood still moist?

The elevator must've been moving faster than I'd originally thought, because the door slides open again to reveal an empty room. The only things inside are three vases, all containing different flowers.

The one that catches my eye is a silver vase with a gold bow wrapped around its middle. Inside of it, there's a single white lily. I'm instantly reminded of the time when we visited Clovis's grave. I had brought flowers, but Lelouch had forgotten, so I'd given him some of mine. We laid all but one on the memorial, and that one had been a pure white lily that Lelouch had slid into my hair.

"What're you waiting for?" The voice urges us. "There's a vase for each pair."

I take a step forward, when a blur dashes past me. Behind her, Sebastian follows loyally. Kara stops at the vase that is the color of blood, cutting sharply up into a point on one side and having a V shaped dip on the opposite side. Inside of it is a crimson rose the same shade as the vase, and a smaller daisy as white as the lily that had caught my eye.

"Look at 'em, Sebastian," she breathes, carefully caressing the petals of the rose. "They're the same ones we lay at the grave."

Vierra claims the rounded vase the color of water, its colors flowing together in such a fashion that makes it look almost like it's moving on its own. It contains an upright, bright red tulip. As beautiful as it is, it seems to sing of death. The petals are sharp just to look at, and Vierra's expression is appalled.

"I put this on my mother's grave, just before I…" A tear streaks down her face. Yuki slips his hand into hers and she grasps at it desperately.

I meet Lelouch's eyes. We take each other's hand and approach the lily together. Unlike the others, neither of us says anything. We both know the significance of this flower to us, and feel no need to explain to everyone else. The flower from that day is still in my room. It's long dead and past blooming, but it somehow remains beautiful to me. It's a symbol of our only and final day we let ourselves be vaguely normal.

Lelouch takes the flower from the vase and slides it behind my ear, just as he did then. This time, it feels as if it's like a ring he puts on my finger. Of course, that's just my fanciful thinking.

"And now for the explanation you've all been so patient for," the voice announces. We both immediately snap to attention.

"Already?" We all startle at the sound of a new voice, this one clearly a girl's. She also has a heavy accent. "They haven't yet a chance to settle in. At least let them relax a bit before everything goes to hell."

"That's kind of you, but they've been waiting for it since they arrived!"

"It would be a grace if you allowed them a little peaceful time. Please, let me take them on a tour of the compound and treat them to a real meal."

The old voice laughs. "We don't have any real meals! But I see your point. All right, you all heard that, right? For the time being, please forget what sort of situation your in if you can and try to relax a little. But still, we haven't much time to spare. You'll regret it if you don't take this opportunity."

"It's lovely to meet you all." We whirl around to see a blond girl, easily our age or a little older. She has a large smile plastered on her face. "My name is Alice. I'm here to show you around the place and introduce you to everyone. After it's all done, we'll serve you something to eat and explain why you're here."

* * *

Finally! I plan on explaining, or at least to start explaining, in the next chapter. It took nine chapter for me to even get to this point...I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. This is certain to be much longer than any of my previous works. Maybe that's a side effect of having so many characters. The longer it is, the more like an actual book it is and I have longer to develop everything, but that also means I have to stay focused on one story for a longer period of time. I have a really bad habit of writing a book, and then dropping it a few chapters, or even a few pages, in. Oh well. Practice makes perfect, right? Hopefully this will help cure that.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	10. Chapter 10

And here's Kara. I'm back from my vacation, and didn't write a word of this chapter during it. I've been getting in the habit of just typing it all in one go, which isn't the best idea. It's better to write it first so I can change it as I type it up and make corrections as needed. However, it's quicker not to. My vacation was fun, though. I absolutely stuffed myself with chocolate last night and felt horrible afterwards. I walked it off shopping, though, which is something I rarely actually do. Shopping isn't really my thing, but I did find this really cute grey dress and some more manga!

Yuki: What'd you do on your vacation?

SnowyNeko: Just sort of toured the city and stayed in some nice hotels.

Sebastian: Sounds like an enjoyable trip.

SnowyNeko: It was! Although kind of short. I thought I wouldn't be back until late tonight.

Sebastian: Did you visit any nice restaurants?

SnowyNeko: A ton, but your cooking is better.

Lelouch: There she goes with the flattery again.

SnowyNeko: Food is always better prepared by a pretty boy. XD

Yuki: I'm not very good at cooking.

SNowyNeko: You can get better.

Lelouch: She doesn't own any of the animes or the characters from them.

* * *

"So this is the computer repair room. We have to have someone here at all times, because we can't have anything breaking down. How we live here is very routine, so it wouldn't be good if something went awry." Alice opens the door to the room, revealing mechanisms like I've never seen before.

"Since when has society become so advanced?" I marvel. The technology is way above anything I've ever encountered. The gnats from before amazed me, but here there are surfaces with changing colors, showing people and pictures. There are also gutted boxes, with their innards of wires and metal lying beside them. In the middle of the mess is a younger lad, with darker skin and squinted eyes. He almost looks like a child version of Lau, without any of the fancy garb.

"This is Lee," Alice introduces us. "I know he looks young, but he's amazingly skilled with computers and has the sharpest tongue out of any of us. Please don't take anything he says seriously."

"Because what you say is _so_ important," the boy scoffs. "Nice to meet all your acquaintances, if that's how you say it." His eyes land on Lelouch and light up like the sun. "Oh, I've wanted to meet you! I've wanted to try to build my own knightmare! I bet you know how to put one together! You have to show me before you leave!"

A nightmare? How do you build a nightmare? And why would Lelouch know how to build one? I guess he is pretty odd, though. All of these people are fairly weird.

"I don't know how to build one, only how to maneuver it," Lelouch tells him.

"What about Ms. Victoria, then?" Lee asks. "You've studied all about them, haven't you? You should know them inside and out!"

Tori stiffens. "How do you know about that?"

"Lee, they haven't had everything explained to them properly, yet," Alice scolds him. "I'm sorry for his behavior Tori, Lelouch. I understand you must be confused, but please let it rest for now." Her voice is obviously British, as is her name. She's making no effort to hide it. I wonder if she might be part of a mafia group. It probably isn't the Italian group we dealt with earlier, so which one? I'd say it's likely, but her demeanor doesn't even whisper of danger. So far she's been nothing but sweet.

"And now to the main control room, which is where we were watching you guys from. The gnats are hooked up to the screens, so Dillon should still be watching us. He took over when you arrived."

We're lead down the hall and into another room, smaller than the first. There are even more moving surfaces in here, all showing us. I glance up at Sebastian in wonder, then turn back to the moving pictures. I wave at the me on the wall and it waves right back, almost like a mirror, except the angle is all wrong. Sitting before the magical surfaces is an older man, red hair fading into grey.

"I'm so glad to meet 'chya!" He hops up from his seat and shakes my hand, then Sebastian's, and so on. His voice is heavy with an Irish accent, which all but eradicates my theory of it being the mafia. They usually tend to come all from one place, and so far none of these people seem to have the same nationality.

"Are you the voice that's been leading us?" Vierra asks as he enthusiastically shakes her hand.

"Naw, I'm only the replacement! The poor girl needed a break!" So it had been a girl who brought us here. "She'll be in the cafeteria right 'bout now if you wanna see 'er. She's been all so eager to see y'all."

I shift uneasily under the steady gaze of Dillon. Since he began talking about the girl, he hasn't taken his eyes off of me. Then his attention focuses in on Vierra.

"You look wonderful, little lady!" he compliments her, kissing her hand. Yuki reacts with hostility, grabbing her hand away for her.

"I would appreciate it if a stranger didn't touch her."

Dillon only laughs. "No need to be protective, my boy! I was simply admiring the handiwork."

"Dillon." Alice's tone has a warning in it.

"I know, dearie. You mustn't keep 'er waiting, then. Hurry along and go to 'er, now."

As Alice leads us once again down the hallway, I ask Sebastian about the changing colors and pictures.

"It's human technology," he assures me. "But it's not of our time quite yet." I'm about to ask more questions when Alice starts speaking.

"I'll apologize on his behalf, but our head refuses to see you face to face. Please understand. He's very biased and ritualistic. He has never taken kindly to demons of any sort."

I stop walking, and all of the sudden Sebastian is in front of Alice. He doesn't loom over her or glare or hurt her, instead just standing there with a curious expression.

"Excuse me, miss, but what is it you said just now?"

"It is going to be in all of our best interests if they know your species, Sebastian," Alice informs him calmly. "Try and kill me if you like. You'll find you can't."

"I-Is that a threat?" I demand, stepping forward. The others look between the three of us, confused. Sebastian smirks.

"No, Mistress, it isn't. I thought something was off about this place. I also don't think it'll do any harm to inform the others that I am in fact a demon, and one of high rank."

"I believe it." All eyes turn to Tori. "The way he climbed that tree before is statistically an impossibly possibility. A human couldn't do something like that."

Lelouch agrees with her. "I thought the same thing, so it would make more sense if he were inhuman. It isn't the strangest thing I've encountered."

"Same with us," Yuki adds. I relax a little, although not completely. It's relieving that they accept it like they do, but how did Alice know in the first place? The girl who was the voice mentioned it earlier, too.

"But as I said, he was against you coming in the first place," Alice continues. "The others might see him at one point or another, but I'm afraid he'll avoid you and Kara to the best of his ability. Now, here's the cafeteria."

She pushes open the first double doors I've seen so far to reveal a clean interior. The dirt floor runs into polished wood that looks nearly slick to walk on, but she steps onto it without any trouble. There're only two tables, and both are fairly small. Two fireplaces on either side of the room lights it, with a single candle resting in the middle of the both of the tables. Only one of them is lit. My eyes widen when I see a black shape asleep on top of one of the chairs.

"Sebastian! Doesn't that look like Kitty?"

"Looks more like a goat to me," Vierra comments.

At the sound of our voices, the goat raises its head. When it meets my eyes, it hops down from the chair and trots over. I scratch its back and it baas. Its fur is silky black, with a bit of white on the hooves. It looks exactly how I imagine Kitty would look as a grown goat. Then, a girl walks in holding a small plate of food. We both freeze when we see each other, the plate dropping from her hands and shattering.

"You're here!" She flings herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck and squeezing the breath out of me. I can't move, frozen to the spot. I can't even move to look at the girl with her arms around me.

"Mary?" I choke. It's impossible. I watched her die, bleeding from her wrist. But her hair, her height, her eyes, they're all the same as mine. How can it be anyone else?

"I've missed you, Kara," she exclaims, hiccupping. The wetness of tears hitting my shoulders jolts me out of my shock and I return the deathlike embrace. Tears of my own start to flow.

"You're dead!" I cry. "How can you be alive?"

"I'm not!" She pulls back, a giggle at her lips. "I'm still dead. As are Alice, Dillon, Lee and the rest."

"I don't understand."

"Then it's about time we explain, isn't it." She looks to Alice for the okay. The blond nods. "There are two separate beings that make up a person. One is the body and the other is the soul. Each being takes a form of its own, but they usually match up. When someone dies on earth, it's only the body that dies. The soul is taken and transported into another universe. A consciousness doesn't just disappear when a body deteriorates. It simply looses control over the body and eventually disconnects. My body is still back where it ended, where you buried it. So is yours. For you, though, Sebastian was able to transfer your soul into his body to prevent it from leaving."

I take this in. "Okay, so where are we? The other universe where people go when they die?"

"No, that's where it starts to get complicated." She sighs. "See, we're the only ones here, the only humans. This is where less intelligent animals are sent after they die. You won't find animals like apes or dolphins here because they're probably wherever humans are supposed to go. The levels of intelligence seem to separate us into different dimensions. The problem is, there are a few people who end up in the wrong place. That's what happened to those of us who live here."

"Um, I think I get it…sort of. So, this body is my soul incarnate?"

"It's the same with Tori, Lelouch, and Yuki. Sebastian was easy, though. Demons have evolved to be able to travel from one universe to another without leaving their bodies or souls behind; all we had to do was summon him. I doubt he realized that's all we did through all the confusion."

"What about me, then?" Vierra inquires. "You explained just how the other three are here, but what about me? You never said I was a soul."

Mary says nothing for a second, then motions to the tables. "We should all sit down. Alice, if you'd be so kind as to prepare something for the guests to eat?"

"Alright, but you have to clean up your own mess. We already broke a pitcher yesterday, and now a plate today. Jackal is going to make us create a whole new set at this rate." She exits through the door Mary entered through.

"Oh, and Vierra." Mary seems to remember something. "The bathroom is out that door and the first door on the left."

"Why're you telling me this?"

"You'll see."

* * *

Does this make sense? I've been planning this since the beginning and I understand that it might be confusing. I'm trying my best to explain this, though. Mary did die (she committed suicide in the first chapter of the first book I posted on here), but her spirit survived and accidentally ended up here in animal heaven on her way to the human heaven. The idea of heaven in this case is a universe, not religious. Both good and bad humans go there, but some are taken by demons on their way. Again, demons are not a religious reference and instead just a creature from a different universe. I'm not sure if this makes any sense to you guys or not, but it does to me. I'll do my best to explain more thoroughly in the next chapter.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	11. Chapter 11

I haven't been very kind to Vierra, have I? This is from her point of view. Unfortunately, I'm not about to be making up for all those bad things in this chapter. I owe her something for doing all of this, don't I? She doesn't have any broken bones in this one, at least. All the injury is purely mental, although that's kinda worse in the long run. Oh geeze, I'm evil. And about the flowers from the last chapter, I hope I made it obvious they were all in the stories I've already written. Otherwise, what would be the point of including them?

Yuki: Is me being a rat ever going to come into play?

SnowyNeko: I don't know, but the others will find out eventually.

Lelouch: All of our secrets are kind of laid bare to the other characters in this.

Sebastian: Me being a demon isn't necessarily a secret.

SnowyNeko: Your secrets are what make you your own characters.

Yuki: Now that I think about it, would my soul also turn into a rat if I hugged her?

SnowyNeko: ...you know, I didn't think about that.

Lelouch: What about Geass? Would that still work?

SnowyNeko: I think it would. It's a power that works with the mind, not particular to the body. Tori's should work, too.

Sebastian: Still, as we've said so many times, miss author doesn't own any of the animes used.

* * *

The seat is so polished that I nearly slip off. Thankfully, I manage to stay on and avoid an embarrassing scene. Kara, however, does fall off. I guess the smooth surface of the wood and her soft dress aren't a good combination. Sebastian assists her back into her seat like he does it all the time. We all stabilize ourselves as Alice returns with a couple bowls of biscuits and jelly. I dive into the food, no less ravenous than the night before. The biscuits are dry, and the jelly none too sweet, but I feel like a lump of coal could suffice as food at this point. I do my best to restrain myself so that I don't look like a wild animal. All eyes are on Mary, impatient for her to continue. She doesn't disappoint.

"Everyone here, in this universe, has decided to address a problem that's existed for millenniums. There are universes that are supposed to touch, to a certain extent, such as these heavens and some hells. Of course, that also mean there are universes that must absolutely never collide. For the sake of understanding, I'll call the universes I'm going to use an example the Fruits Basket and Geass universes. Yuki, you're from Fruits Basket. I'm sure everyone else has knowledge about the connection to their own universes. Those three universes, as well as one other, are the main universes causing the most trouble.

"Lelouch, I believe you know a girl by the name of C.C. She herself is not from Geass, but both her name and power come from there. That universe and its connection to her is what has granted her immunity to death in your world."

"Does that mean she could die if we were to sever that link?" he asks.

"No, but it would likely cause the next C.C. not to be immortal, and no more geass users will be able to pass through. The two of you are here to help close the tears leading to Geass."

Tori takes a small nibble of her biscuit. "Exactly how long have you been watching us?"

"Since Lelouch came into contact with C.C. We've been monitoring the geass users for as long as we've had the technology. Now Sebastian, you should know your situation if I am correct. Would you care to explain, or should I?"

Sebastian, who is the only one who has not sat down, steps closer to the tiny light. The eerie dimness is fitting for a demon, his facial features appearing more defined and surreal.

"I find no reason I shouldn't. My kind is built to traverse between universes, but we're greedy. The impression humans have of us isn't too far off. A common goal for all of us is absolute control everything, which means unlimited access to anywhere and everywhere. Our current ruler, King Lucifer IX, has been more adamant than his ancestors about opening wider gateways to different worlds. As of now, we have at least sixty-seven significantly sized passages into multiple universes. Although the danger of invasion, disease, and pests coming through from the other sides has begun a debate, Lucifer has met little resistance. I myself have been more open to the arguments since meeting Kara, but few others share my opinion.

"In our universe, unless you upset the king, you're living pretty much under your own rule. Survival of the fittest. I believe you call it anarchy in your terms. There is nothing but lies, treachery, and power, which are ideals we bring with us when entering other dimensions. To you humans, that makes us fall into the category of 'evil'. Along with the negative influences that we carry, our opening of paths weakens the structures of universes and has already caused a few to collapse. The result is catastrophic. The breaking of their reality kills everything within the shattering universe and it further deteriorates the delicate balance holding all universes apart.

"I assume they've gathered us here to help stop such occurrences, which will be difficult. It's easy to create a tear in time and space, but much harder to fix it. I don't know how, as demons have never looked into it. What reasons have we to if none of us want to do so? I said before that King Lucifer is encouraging acts of the sort, and he's not someone easily satisfied. He won't listen to someone he can defeat easily, nor will he take kindly to the idea of closing his routes to conquering. That is the reason I am here. Did I cover everything, Miss Mary?"

Kara's twin claps her hands, laughter in her voice. "Everything and more. I really only needed you to explain the situation of the tears your kind has been creating, but I guess it won't hurt if they know more. Now, on to Fruits Basket. Vierra, have you explained everything to Yuki yet?"

I pause, forcing myself to put my food down. No, I haven't, but I'm not sure how to. How do I say he's from an anime? That he's an idea that someone came up with? I had a hard time coming to the conclusion that he's real when I first met him, so how will he respond if I tell him that he's not?

"I have…" I trail off. Then, deciding to tell the truth, I add, "Mostly."

"Then I'd bet you don't know how to," Mary determines, seeing right through me. "Let me clarify everything so it'll be clear to the both of you. When people began animating, and creating movies, and long ago writing books, they were doing nothing but peering into other universes and bringing parts of them into theirs. I can't really say ours, since we're all kind of split up into different ones. Anyway, in doing so, they began widening the holes to those universes. Writing was only in words, and reality movies used people from their world, so the effects from those are minor. Animation, however, needed to be made from scratch. To do so was generating glass-like vulnerabilities in the universal structure.

"The fabric of the universe was already wavering when you bought the disc for Fruits Basket. You watching it, and imbedding it into your mind only made it worse. When you tripped down the stairs and hit your head, since the walls were so weak and Fruits Basket was floating in the back of your mind, your soul was carried away to it. The interesting thing was, you weren't dead. The body of your soul was just no longer directly connected to your physical body. Since that was the case, your soul took the form of a person from Fruits Basket and your original body was sustained at a hospital in your native universe. Are you understanding all of this?"

The conditions were right, and the timing was too, so I got sent into a universe that is colliding into ours. As outrageous as it seems, I think that's the gist of what she's trying to tell me. I nod.

"You might've stayed forever like that, continued to be in a coma until the doctors gave up on you and then just detached entirely once your body eventually died. When you were again exposed to blunt force trauma to the back of her head, you once again passed back into your own universe. However, since of your unusual circumstances, part of you was still part of that world.

"That is likely what freaked you out so much, why you found not being entirely in one or the other so terrifying. You may not have realized it, but your soul actually split. You were able to be conscious in this universe, but when not here you were there. A soul is not meant to be divided. Actually I don't think I've seen any other case of such a thing. Your natural instincts told you to somehow get your soul back together. You ended up choosing to abandon this universe in trade for being with Yuki. It's really quite a cute story.

"Now for you, Yuki. This body that you're in now is that of your soul. Don't worry, you're still alive and you haven't been split. We were very careful not to harm you or any of the others that had to come without your physical bodies. You originally come from Fruits Basket, which was supposed to take a different direction than it did. Vierra was never a part of the picture, and you went on without knowing her. You actually fell in love with another girl, I do believe. But because of Vierra's interference, your life took an entirely different path and created yet another universe based on that event. I'm sorry to inform you that your universe of origin allows people from Vierra's universe to know your darkest secrets and deepest thoughts, but think of it this way. You're never going to meet them, and they're never going to consider that you actually exist outside a screen."

"Does that mean they all know…" He doesn't finish his sentence, but I know what he's referring to. _Does that mean they all know about the curse, that I'm the rat of the zodiac?_

"Not all, but yes," Mary answers, waving it off. "Trust me, they don't care at all. In fact, many viewers absolutely adore you."

"Wait a second." Everyone looks at me while I piece together my question properly. "Sebastian is here in his own body because he is built to be able to do so, everyone else is simply separated from their bodies for the time being, correct?"

"Well, yeah. Is there something you don't get?"

"My soul has already been put into another universe, and adjusted to live there. How am _!_ here, then, looking like this?"

Mary lets out a long breath, supporting herself on her elbows. She closes her eyes for a second, seeming to mentally prepare herself. Then she looks me straight in the eye with an expression that sends chills through me.

"Vierra, you're in your physical body. We opened a temporary path to your universe and stole your body to bring back here. Dillon and I mended it and left it at the animal sanctuary so you'd be with the others when you arrived."

I suddenly don't feel like eating. "So," I begin slowly, shaking ever so slightly, "you're saying that...this is the body that's been dead for months? Almost a year now? You've got to be kidding, right?"

Her gaze doesn't falter. "I'm pretty sure you've known that for a little while now, haven't you. You discovered it last night, am I right?"

"Wait, so you're telling me she's a dead body?"

I miss who says that and any words that come after it, remembering last night. My hands flash to my head, pausing right before coming into contact. I felt it last night. I didn't scream waking up from a nightmare like I told the others. No, I _felt _it. Eyes locked on the table in front of me, I gradually move my hands closer to my hair. My fingers once again find the holes. They're uneven and jagged around the edges, soft in the middle.

I jerk my hands away, covering my mouth and jolting out of my chair. I rush out of the room and barge into the bathroom, barely making it to the sink (I couldn't get to the toilet) before I vomit.

* * *

Sometimes, when I'm writing, I feel more like the villain than the antagonist I create. In this story, though, there isn't a clear enemy. It's more character vs. the world. Or worlds, I guess, plural. Actually, the universal situation so far has worked out for pretty much all of my characters. Vierra met Yuki, Tori and Lelouch gained the ability to stand against Britannia, and Kara was able to summon Sebastian and get revenge for Mary. All good things have a dark side, though. The next chapter will still be mostly explanation and them getting sent off to fix everything. Don't worry. We're getting to the adventure!

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	12. Chapter 12

Here we are from Tori's point of view. No one actually refers to her by name, but everyone else speaks at one point, so it should be pretty easy to infer she's the main character in this chapter. If anything about the set up of the story gets confusing, please tell me. I'll do my best to explain. This is supposed to be the part where it all makes sense, not where it gets even more complicated. The adventure starts in the next chapter! I have no idea how I'm going to present Geass, but I'll figure it out. Fruits Basket will be the easiest, since it's just going into the anime itself. For the Demon realm, I'll just let my imagination go wild! That one will be fun to create!

SnowyNeko: My internet's been all screwy, lately.

Yuki: Then how'd you post this?

SnowyNeko: The computer is fine, it's my phone!

Lelouch: Oh, the tragedy.

SnowyNeko: Thank you for the sarcasm, it's highly appreciated.

Lelouch: Happy to oblige.

Sebastian: Have you had someone look at it?

SnowyNeko: Family, yes. My brother says it's just the internet company.

Yuki: Then what can you do?

SnowyNeko: No idea. It doesn't make it any better that I don't own any of the animes.

Sebastian: Or their characters.

SnowyNeko: *sigh* And that...

* * *

Out of all the things she's just told us, I find this hardest to believe. How can she be dead? I understand that her soul might've gotten stuck in a different universe, but how can she be in a body that's already dead? Why can't they simply pluck her from Fruits Basket or wherever and move her like that? Is her soul permanently tethered down there or something? While I'm trying to work this out in my head, Lelouch is arguing with Mary.

"You can't just reanimate a dead body! That's impossible! Scientists have finally given up on things as ludicrous as that because they know they can't!"

"You can't advance without attempting the impossible," she reasons calmly. "In Kara's time, television would be considered impossible, and yet it obviously exists for you. That's because someone tried to accomplish what others thought ridiculous."

Kara interjects. "What's television?"

"Those screens with the moving pictures on them," Mary explains to her twin. "Or, more accurately, they're computers. Pretty impressive, aren't they? A big difference from the coliseum." Kara nods, deep in thought.

"You're getting off topic!" Lelouch exclaims, clearly getting annoyed.

"Wait a second!" They all turn to me. "Did you just say from Kara's time?"

Mary sits back in her seat, having gotten up when she and Lelouch began going at it. "Yes, I did. Kara and I were soon after Christ, and very devout Catholics. I guess I can't exactly say as much now. I'm dead after all, and my sister's engaged to a demon."

"So you're saying we're also from different time periods?" I enquire.

"Of course. Time is part of the balance of the universe. The ability to gather you all here at once is proof of the disintegration happening around us. Time's also quite delicate, although difficult to touch. It's cracking along with everything else. So now that we've covered just about everything you all needed to know," Mary concludes, "does anyone want to go home and leave it be?"

Silence. Not a sound is made until Yuki and Vierra reenter, once again holding hands. Her eyes are glued to the ground and her hair completely disheveled. He's in the process of smoothing her hair down, more aware of the rest of us.

"Please understand she's as shocked as we are," he asks of us. "She's the one actually back_ in_ her body."

"I'll repeat what I asked the others," Mary tells him. "Do either of you wish to go back at let this happen as it is?" He shakes his head firmly, 'speaking' for the both of them. "Okay then. I'll get you set up to go."

Lelouch speaks up, aggravation gone. "What exactly will we be doing?"

Mary looks at him like he's missing the obvious. "Closing the openings in the universes. Why else would we have called you here?"

"Miss Mary," Sebastian addresses her, "he was referring to how we are going to close them. I'm quite curious as well. How are we to repair that which we cannot touch?"

"How are you to destroy something you cannot touch," she retaliates. She gets to her feet and exits the room. Unsure of what to do, we follow behind. She leads us down the hallways without glancing back, but I'm certain she knows we're behind her. She should be able to hear our footsteps, and our shadows in the dim lighting. The rooms are lit brilliantly for the most part, but the hallways and cafeteria are different stories. For some reason, they both seem to be barely used compared to the other rooms.

"The answer is actually not at all complicated." She pushes open the door in front of her, revealing the room we'd first entered upon arriving at the compound. "Use something that can touch it. Demons themselves cannot force a tear all on their own. They have to use the souls of the dead that is their food supply to prick the fabric of space, and then expand on that hole. It's like sticking a needle through cloth and rolling it around to make an area big enough to pull a small rope through. It's an incredibly difficult task, and hard to exploit the result if done incorrectly. However, sometimes it is successful and sometimes it's done by accident."

The flowers that we'd seen before still stand strong in their vases. Only now, with the lights dimmed, they almost appear to be giving off a glow of some sort. The lily and daisy shine a dull white, the rose and tulip dismal reds.

"Jackal worked with Dillon to infuse these flowers with parts of our own souls. We'll send you to the troublesome universes, where you'll have to find the portal to the universe Tori, Lelouch, Kara, and Vierra are from. Once found, you have to leave the flowers within the tear. For it to work, you'll have to give it part of yourselves as well, which is why we chose these specific flowers. You all have some sort of strong connection to one of more of them. Those emotions you feel are also something than can touch the universe, and will therefore increase the effectiveness of the flowers."

"Who's Jackal?" I wonder.

She barely glances back at me to answer. "He's sort of the top dog around here. There's no designated ruler here, but he's the closest thing to one. He won't speak with you because of Sebastian."

"Okay, that sounds simple enough," Kara says, picking up the vase containing two flowers. "So we just have to find the opening, right?"

"It won't be that easy. We can't visibly see the tears," Lelouch corrects her.

"Exactly," Mary agrees. "You may have already been near the gap an not noticed it. The likelihood is you'll do it again."

Sebastian interjects, "That's where I come in. I'll be able to sense its presence and show you where it is."

"Any questions?" Mary looks between us. When none of us responds, she says, "Good, then. Since the demon realm will be the most difficult, we'll save it for last. Take a vote on which order you'll go to the other two."

"I say we go to Geass," I voice. "I say if it's connected to my time period, I might be able to get a hint to what's happening while we were away. I'm sure the Black Knights are struggling without Zero."

"Don't worry about that," she tells me. "After this is all over and done with, we'll return you to the exact time when we took you. Probably barely a second will have passed."

"Wha-" I don't finish my question. With everything that's been happening, why couldn't they? Apparently anything is possible as long as you mess with the fabric of the universe. Although, I must admit, I'm worried about that one second. That does mean time will have passed to some extent, and a lot can go down in only a second. Especially when you're on the battlefield. That single moment that I miss might end up being vital to dodging an incoming projectile, or attacking part of their main force. Knightmares are crazy agile, you know?

"Um, Mary?" Vierra finally speaks for the first time since her little episode. "Could I possibly…bring something to eat with me? I don't know if I'll be able to keep it down, but I'm starving."

"We already have some food prepared for you. I'm sorry, but we couldn't put you back together perfectly. Your body will be in a constant demand for sustenance and energy. I'm afraid you'll be hungry constantly, and will have heavy spells of lethargy when you don't eat enough. It's an unfortunate side effect."

"What about me?" Kara asks. "I'm the exact opposite. I haven't been able to eat anything since I came here."

Mary's expression grows apologetic. "About that, souls don't need to eat, Kara. The others and I simply eat to maintain a bit of our humanity, but we can't eat much. You yourself have been only a soul for so long without food that the manifestation of your soul rejects even the thought of it. You won't be able to eat or drink."

Kara doesn't say anything else, but her face falls dramatically. I'm not sure I entirely understand her circumstances, but I get the feeling that eating is something she was looking forward to. And now that her sister mentions it, the usual feeling of hunger has become only a dull sensation of emptiness. I haven't eaten as much as I usually do in the past day.

Lelouch steps up to get back to the real issue. "Does anyone object going to Geass?" Some shake their heads, others stay silent. "So how are we going to get there?"

"Same way you were brought here, only a little modified," Mary explains. "Since your souls aren't stuck in a single universe anymore, they should be able to travel as freely as demons or the wandering dead. Be careful not to meet or become either, though. The area between universes is uneasy."

"What is a wandering dead?" Vierra asks, hardly audible.

"They're the souls that have failed to reach their destination or have gotten lost on their journey. They're stuck in the void pretty much eternally. I can assure you, there aren't many. You're more likely to run into a exiled demon."

"Is that supposed to be encouraging?" I laugh. I pluck the lily from the water and weigh it in my hand. It's hard to believe such a little, frail thing can fix the universe. Preposterous, if you ask me. Then again, all of this is.

"You should be transported at any second," Mary informs us. "I'll apologize in advance about the headache you're going to experience. It shouldn't be as bad as last time, though. According to our calculations, they should fade as you get used to the universe hopping."

"We should keep that in a safe place," Lelouch suggests, turning to me. He takes the flower from me and slips it into my hair. "Like here."

I snort, and he smiles. The others won't get it.

Then the impact, sudden and startling, as expected as it was. The next second, we're no longer in the compound.

* * *

Finally, the adventure begins in the next chapter! We're here! And it only took me twelve chapters! Actually, that's a ridiculously long time. I'm shocked I dragged it out so much. I think I need something sweet to compensate. XD Actually, I had so many sweets yesterday it might as well have been my birthday. Two cupcakes, with extra frosting, and two little cheesecakes with cherry filling and whipped cream. Plus, a little bitty chocolate bunt cake with cream cheese frosting. It was heaven! But soooo unhealthy. I'm worried I'll have to work it off, but I can't stand exercise...I should really change that...but I don't want to...

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	13. Chapter 13

Kara's turn. I kind of just made Geass up as I went along. Whatever sounded good went on the paper, or rather the screen. I'm sorry if you're expecting more, but I liked how it turned out. As for N.N, she shocked me as I wrote about her. Like the universe she's from, she just evolved into her character as I typed. I didn't plan her beforehand in any way. She's a character I've actually grown to hate, but that's a great sign. If I'm able to feel that strongly towards a character, you should too.

Lelouch: How do you hate your own character?

SnowyNeko: The same way you hate anyone else's. It just takes a little more effort.

Lelouch: How so?

SnowyNeko: Usually when you write, you know all about the character. You know why they are how they are.

Yuki: And here you don't?

SnowyNeko: Exactly. She morphed as I typed. I know no more than anyone else does about her.

Sebastian: So she's a complete mystery.

SnowyNeko: Yupperdoodles!

Yuki: Sounds like fun to write like that.

SnowyNeko: It's the best feeling when your own writing surprises you.

Sebastian: SnowyNeko doesn't own any of the animes or the character belonging in them.

* * *

I grab onto Sebastian to steady myself. The headache is back, although not as sharp as before. It still makes my head throb, nonetheless. The trip has also knocked the breath out of me. I have to cling to him to remain upright.

"Mistress, should I carry you?" Sebastian offers, his expression concerned. I gasp in air, quickly filling my lungs and slowing my pulse. Oh, how amazing it is to breathe!

"I'm okay," I promise him. "Even the pain feels wonderful after not having a body for so many years. And that's not your fault. It's the emperor and his stupid dog's." I peck his cheek to assure him. Even so, I haven't satisfied him. Not only is he still worried, but also I can almost feel him waiting for a kiss. Embarrassed, I glance away and release my grip. He isn't the type to let something like that slide, though. He turns my head towards him and plants a quick kiss on my lips, eyes glittering mischievously. My face grows ever hotter.

Lelouch clears his throat and Sebastian releases me. "So, can you sense where the tear is?"

Sebastian closes his eyes, still for a moment. I don't think he's even breathing. Then, without warning, he whips his head around.

"Somewhere over there. I can't pinpoint exactly until we get closer, but it's definitely in that direction."

With the headache and Sebastian as distractions, I had failed to notice earlier where we are. There're nothing but rocks around us, a landscape of grey and black. The smooth, continuous rocks look almost like those made from volcanic magma, but they're different. Where the stones are cut into, there's a shimmering, glowing light of pale blue bursting forth. Yes, most assuredly _not_ igneous rock. Over where Sebastian had motioned to are a few gigantic, reflective structures that look to be made of silver. Other than that, there's nothing but the rocks in every direction. Not a hint of green is to be seen. But perhaps the most odd about it all is that the sky is a buttery yellow, and there is no sun or moon.

"We'll be able to make it there in less than an hour," Tori estimates. "Well then, lets get going. If we are to believe any of this insane stuff, we shouldn't waste any time."

"On foot?" Yuki asks.

"I don't see any other way," Lelouch points out. "If you do, please tell us."

And so we set off across the plain of rocks, leaping over crevasses and navigating through jagged terrain. At one point, my foot slips on an edge and I nearly fall in. Of course, Sebastian is there to catch me. He scoops me into his arms and my arms fly around his neck. He's carried me like this so many times that my response to it has become automatic.

"Sebastian, you can let me down, now."

"Why would I want to?" he inquires, feigning being perplexed. "I haven't seen you, let alone held you, in over a thousand years. Would you at least allow me this, Milady?"

The familiar warmness rises into my face and I bury my head into his chest. "I'll allow it," I mumble. I don't have to look to know he's smiling.

"Hey, Princess, none of the rest of us get to be carried," Vierra pouts. As we've been walking, she's reverted back to her usual enthusiastic self. I'm glad. It must've been a shock to be told she's in her own dead body. I smile to myself, hidden by Sebastian's uniform.

Speaking of which, what about Ciel? Mary did say she'd put us back at pretty much the exact moment we disappeared, but what if she doesn't? How would the 'Young Master' handle himself? I snicker just thinking about it. The poor whelp probably can't tie his own shoes. Then again, I've never tried it either.

"Is something funny, Milady?"

"I was thinking about how Ciel would fair without you."

I can feel the vibration of Sebastian's chuckle. "You never have liked him."

"Well, he treats you like garbage," I grouch. "At least I had some respect for you when I summoned you."

"Oh really?" He raises an eyebrow. "You didn't think of me as a pet even once?" I lapse into silence. I had thought of him as a mere animal when I first met him, but I had my reasons! The first time we talked, he was in the form of a raven. And back then I was a Catholic. I believed in God with all my heart before Mary died, and to me demons were nothing but scum. Some of my thoughts at the time were to bring a demon into the world to spite God. Kind of pointless, really. I no longer believe in him. But good did come from it, I guess. If I hadn't been so angry, so filled with rage, I would have never met Sebastian.

"We're here," Tori announces. "Now how do we get in?"

In the shining building before us, there aren't any windows, let alone a door. No indication to the possibility of anything being inside. For all we know, it could just be a giant rod of metal that naturally exists in this universe. We're just assuming based on what we know of our own.

Lelouch turns to us. "Sebastian, what can you sense?"

"It's inside the building, quite a ways up. I should be able to break through the wall if I try."

It's no use." At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, I jolt. Behind us, a man with violet hair materializes out of nowhere. "They're built specifically to hold out any demons. We want no part in your empire."

"We aren't demons," Yuki protests, stepping forward. "At least, most of us aren't."

"We need to get inside. Is there any way for us to enter?" The man studies Lelouch suspiciously, looking from him to Tori. They stare right back.

"The two of you are from here, aren't you? Why are you with them?"

"We came with them. We aren't from here, though," Tori explains. "Did demons try to conquer here? I gather they have, since you have knowledge of them."

The man just looks at her, baffled. "How are you not from here? You both possess geass. Yours is fairly ordinary around here, but the boy's…I've never seen anything like it. Tell me, how can you _not _be from here?"

"Is that your power?" Lelouch asks.

"Yes. I can identify what geass someone possesses just by looking at them."

"Excuse me," I interrupt, "but what is geass?"

My question only farther puzzles the man. "How can you not know?"

"As we said, we aren't from around here," Tori tells him. "Please, we have to get inside. The sooner we do, the sooner we'll be gone."

Still keeping a careful eye on us, he whispers to his hand. I look up at Sebastian, curious.

"He's telling someone to bring us in, via teleportation. But we are to be put in a room for interrogation."

"Oh, fun," I huff. "Wait, did you say teleportation?"

All of the sudden, the world fades from around us and we're in a brightly lit room. There's nothing but a door, a table, and a pitcher of what looks to be water with cups beside it. Okay, yes, it's plain, but how is this an interrogation room? Aren't they usually dull and ominous to intimidate the prisoner?

"Hello." A woman struts in, short pink hair pulled back into a small ponytail. She shuts the door behind her, which clicks shut. "I am to do your interrogations. This should be quick, so bear with me. Why are you here?"

None of us say anything. We look at each other, waiting for something to happen. Is she just going to ask us? Like that? Then I remember that Sebastian is holding me. I blush, pulling back.

"Sebastian, put me down," I order. He does so without complaint. I straighten out my dress, brushing even the smallest speck of dust off of it. I don't want to dirty such a beautiful gift. I mean, it's my wedding gown! It's kind of sad that the onyx tiara didn't also come back, but I'm delighted even if it's only the dress.

"I see," the woman mutters absently. Her eyes seem dazed, glazed over. "Now that is interesting. Yes, Lelouch, I am like that man by the name of Mao that you encountered before."

Whatever that means, it causes Tori to gasp.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. That looks to be a touchy subject," the woman apologizes.

"I'm not following," Vierra says, speaking my thoughts aloud.

"My name is N.N. At least, that's how you will understand it. To put it simply so you'll all understand, geass is a power everyone in this universe is granted. It's unique to the person it manifests within. Me, I can read minds."

"That's not-"

N.N cuts Vierra off. "Vierra, you were beaten as a child. After your mother committed suicide, your father was arrested and you went to live with your aunt, uncle, and cousin. Yuki, you were also abused by the head of your family. You were convinced no one could love you because you are the rat of the zodiac. Kara, you summoned Sebastian after your sister also committed suicide after being raped. When your body died, Sebastian took your soul into his own body so that you wouldn't leave him and you've been like until now, am I correct? Is everyone convinced?"

My mouth is hanging open. It's not her ability that shocks me, but Yuki and Vierra's pasts. Were they really both beaten? And Vierra's mom committed suicide? How horrible! I can see the shock on her face as she's reminded of the events. Her reaction only confirms that it all happened. Yuki stands at her side, holding both of her hands in his.

N.N looks upon him with sympathy. "I can't imagine it," she shakes her head. "Not being able to hug the one you love. That truly is a curse."

I, of course, do not understand completely what she's talking about, but I'm not blind. She's digging into their private affairs without mercy, bearing the ugly truth and shoving it back in their faces.

"Kara, why're you so upset?" she wonders, swiveling to look at me. "Is it because I brought up your sister? You saw her just recently, didn't you? The shock of having her bleed out in front of you should be gone by now. There's nothing you could've done for her back then, anyway. You were a criminal. You got your revenge as well, didn't you? It must've felt amazing to kill the emperor of Rome with your own two hands! What a story!"

"Miss N.N, I recommend you quiet down," Sebastian suggests.

"Oh?" she grins. "Are you threatening me demon? I'll have you know us here in Geass aren't on easy terms with your kind. If I deem you untrustworthy, you'll be cast out. Not only does that mean you'll be separated from Kara at this very moment, but you wont ever see her again. If they close the tear while you're still here, you're stuck. Kara also won't be able to return to her universe and will have to remain with her sister. Imagine it. She'll watch the others eat while she's repulsed my what she so wants to do. She won't get to see the world move forward firsthand. You won't ever get to have your wedding."

"Stop it," I whimper, terrified by the idea. This woman is a monster!

"On the contrary, my dear Kara," she corrects me with a chilling grin. "I am human. The man you so love is the monster."

* * *

As I said before, I hate N.N! She's a power hungry sadist! At least, that's what she seems like to me. That manipulative little...okay I shouldn't talk like that about my own character. I wonder if we'll ever learn the name of that purple haired dude. I'm not sure if he'll be appearing anymore or not. Is it just me, or does Geass seem like a futuristic, sci-fi, alien sort of place? Maybe that's what I was subconsciously going for when I made it. I guess that fits, though, since it's an entire other universe. I think N.N. is going to end up as their primary problem in this universe, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko!:3 MEOW!


	14. Chapter 14

I'm posting late because I haven't had time to sit down and type. I'm with relatives at the moment, which means I have to help provide entertainment. That, and I was forced to go shopping. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate shopping, it just isn't my favorite. Anyway, this chapter is from Vierra's point of view. If I were to choose the character I've been the meanest to, I'd say it would be Vierra. The poor girl just doesn't seem to get a break.

Yuki: You could always give her one.

SnowyNeko: I have to keep the story moving, and that can mean being mean.

Lelouch: So how're going to make it up to her?

SnowyNeko: I have no idea.

Sebastian: You could-

SnowyNeko: SHUSHUMS! I want to come up with it myself!

Lelouch: How's her life been going in Fruits Basket?

Yuki: She's been enjoying herself.

SnowyNeko: I bet. Fruits Basket was a bit of a wake up call for her.

Sebastian: Wake up call?

SnowyNeko: She wasn't appreciating life at all.

Lelouch: SnowyNeko doesn't own any of the animes or their characters.

SnowyNeko: The original characters are mine, though.

* * *

I feel as if she's just slapped me across the face. It isn't her mind reading ability that shocks me, but what she's revealed with it. My past is not something I openly share with people, even less so when I've only known the people for a day. Not only has she blurted it out for everyone to hear, she's also gone as far as to dig into Yuki and Kara's histories. She's got Kara cowering and her demon unable to speak in her defense. Yuki's hands are quivering. I don't need to ask to know that N.N. reminds him of Akito. The only difference is that her lashes are confined to words.

"What do you plan on doing with us, then?" Tori asks her. N.N turns to the two souls she has yet to bare for us. Tori meets her eyes with a steady gaze that suggests she's faced off with people like her before. Her bravery doesn't throw N.N. off at all.

"Manipulating, of course," she tells Tori like it was obvious. "You should know quite a bit about that, Princess Victoria Vi Britannia. You and your brother are masters of it, after all. We're a lot alike. The both of us look to overthrow the current ruler of our beloved countries no matter what the cost. Although, our reasons are a little different. Lelouch and I are more similar in that aspect."

Tori says nothing, trying not to give anything away, but her silence seems to encourage N.N. Or maybe it's because N.N. knows exactly what she's thinking no matter how well she hides her emotions.

"He hasn't told you!" N.N. claps her hands in delight like a small child. "Oh, that's rich! He's decided to hide the Zero Requiem from you! Well then, should I tell you what he's planning?"

"That's enough!" Lelouch explodes, anger coloring his features. Whatever N.N. wants to disclose, it's clearly something he can't have getting out. His anger is his manifestation of panic.

"I trust him to tell me if he wants to," Tori says, refusing her offer.

"But you're so curious! You're mind is racing faster than I've ever seen anyone's! And Lelouch is rivaling you, no, surpassing you! I see why Mao enjoyed going after the two of you! Your minds are simply exquisite."

"Hey!" I draw N.N's attention, flinching when she faces me. "You said you're going to use us to manipulate something. Are you going to explain?"

N.N. sneers. "How courageous, distracting me from the siblings so I won't hurt them. I'll reward you, then."

I glance over at Tori and Lelouch for a second before riveting my sight on N.N. They're siblings? I would've guessed they were going out, but that just shows how much I know. They don't look related, though.

"That's because they're only half siblings," N.N. informs me. "Now, to your _spoken_ question. I'm aiming to overthrow the current monarch, but not many side with me since we're already in the middle of a struggle with the demons. Having one on my side might help my cause. Also, the geass Tori and Lelouch posses could come in handy on many occasions. Not to mention, your pretty boyfriend has an interesting ability of his own."

"When would such a curse be helpful?" Yuki asks.

"Sneaking into places, of course." She gives him a devilish smile. "A very handy eavesdropping tool. The varying time limit will be a pain, though."

I stay quiet. She's paying attention to Sebastian because he's a demon, Kara because she can control him with her. She recognizes Tori and Lelouch because of their 'powers', and Yuki because he can turn into a rat. I, however, have no use to her. The most I should try to do is protect Yuki. If I can stay out of her line of sight, it could possibly become advantageous. I just have to pray she doesn't read my thoughts. I have to keep her attention diverted elsewhere.

"Help me without trouble," N.N. continues, "and I'll make sure you all return safely to your respectful universes. If you refuse..." _She'll make sure it _won't _happen._ I wonder what exactly would happen if she kept us here. I imagine horrible things, but I honestly have no idea. The only hint we've been giving is that everything will die.

"Question. What are you going to tell the others? You were put in here to interrogate us, so what're you going to do?" Tori inquires.

"I have my ways. That's not anything for you to worry about. Are we in agreement?"

"I want to get this over with," Kara mumbles in defeat. Sebastian bows his head, compliant. Whatever his mistress says, I guess.

"We have a deal," Lelouch concedes.

Tori sighs. "It shouldn't factor as too big a delay."

"I don't care," I growl. "I'm with Kara. I just want this over and done."

"Why not?" Yuki frowns.

"Perfect," N.N. smirks. "Allow me to lead you to your cells. For the time being, you're to be treated as prisoners. I can guarantee your liberation before three days pass if you cooperate. I'll come to request your assistance at a later time."

She scans a card dangling around her neck and walks out into the hallway. Tori and Lelouch move to follow her, and I wait for Sebastian and Kara before going after her myself. I'm not sure precisely how I'll be able to help, but just in case...It's best if she neglects to notice me.

"In here. The space is nice, but with six of you, it'll be cramped. You'll have to live with it for the moment." N.N. waits impatiently for us to enter, tapping her foot. We file in like school children scolded by their teacher. Our obedience puts a spark of pleasure in her eyes. I can't hide a scowl as I pass her. Her smile only grows when she sees it. I'm not sure I've ever been so disgusted with a person.

Yuki is the last to enter, the door slammed behind him. A loud sizzling sound buzzes for a few seconds before all is still. I try the door, finding it locked. That must've been what the noise was. N.N. hadn't lied when she told us the room is cramped. There's only one bed, not even queen sized. The space itself is equivalent to the kitchen at the Sohma house. How long do they plan to keep all of us in here? Do we have to spend the night in this room?

Apparently so, because the clock in the wall (in, not on) ticks by without any interruption from people outside ourselves. The time reads eight pm. How does time manage to crawl by so slowly? There isn't even a deck of cards to relieve our boredom. I mean, couldn't they install a T.V. in here or something? Anything to occupy my mind with would work.

"It doesn't look like they're getting us tonight," I conclude.

"Then we should work out the sleeping arrangements," Lelouch proposes. He always seems to step up in situations like this, a natural leader. I guess he is the leader of a rebellion going on somewhere, sometime. It would be unusual if he was hesitant.

"There is nothing to arrange," Sebastian tells him. "The girls will have the bed and you two will sleep on the floor."

"Us two? What about you?"

"Demons do not sleep, Lelouch," Kara yawns. "I'm good with that. Does anyone object?" Of course, no one does. I would give up sleeping on the bed so Yuki could, but if any other girls slept there I'd get jealous. Not only that, there's his curse to consider. It wouldn't be good if he transformed in the middle of the night and got squashed. He wouldn't accept if I offered, anyway.

"I'll be in the middle," Kara volunteers. "That is, unless one of you would rather?"

"Go for it," I grin. She must be a snuggler. Whenever Cassidy and I stayed over at someone's house and we had to share one bed, she always wanted to be in the middle. In the morning, either her friend or I would wake up with her latched onto us. I wonder how Cassidy is. Last time I saw her, she was stuck in a game world. I bet it was another universe melding into that one that caught her there. Perhaps when we finish this, she'll wake up. Aunt and Uncle would certainly be ecstatic. They had their niece hospitalized, then their daughter, then their niece commit suicide. Even after theses months since I've 'died', they're probably still in shock.

"Wait, are you guys alright with sleeping by me?" I ask. "You heard what Mary said earlier, right? I'm dead."

Kara laughs. "Well so am I, technically. Attacked by a dog back when the roman empire still existed."

"You're fine," Tori assures me.

So with that, we climb into bed. I have to hold in a chuckle when the boys pull back the sheets for us. We're in a prison cell, this isn't the time to treat us like princesses. That reminds me...

"Hey Tori, didn't N.N. call you Princess Victoria something earlier? Are you royalty?"

She's quiet for a moment before responding, "Yes, I am. I'm the third princess of the Britannian emperor. I don't think our empire existed in your time period."

"So let me get this straight," Kara says. "You and your brother, Lelouch, are prince and princess aiming to overthrow their father?"

"That's the gist of it. Don't think too hard on it. We simply don't like the way he runs things, and want to create a better world."

"You make it sound noble," Lelouch snickers.

"Well, our methods may not be," Tori admits, "but I think our reasons are understandable. Trying peacefully wouldn't get us far, though."

"So," I yawn, "should we refer to you as prince and princess?"

"Don't worry about it," Tori sighs. "I'm not a fan of the title, and no one has addressed Lelouch in that way for years."

"Well, glad that's cleared up. I thought you two were a couple. We should get to sleep. We don't know what N.N. is going to have us do in the morning."

And so the lights go off. Yuki sleeps o the floor on my side, so I reach down to grasp his hand. It's the best we can do, since hugging doesn't work. Sure enough, as I predicted, Kara is curled up the best she can, pressing against my beck. She's the type who has a difficult time going to sleep on her own. Must be because she grew up with a twin.

"Goodnight, everyone," I murmur dreamily. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

To some extent, I think Kara reminds Vierra of Cassidy. Their personalities are somewhat similar. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've written a scene with Cassidy in it other than when Vierra found her in the hospital wearing nervegear. I was planning to write another fanfiction about SAO and Cassidy, but it didn't work out that way. I already have a character set up for another story after this one, so Cassidy won't be getting her time in the spotlight for some time if ever. She's still a character of mine, though, since she is included in Vierra's background, and I love her as much as the others. I've drawn a few pictures of Tori, Vierra, and Kara, and in all them Cassidy was there too. In my most recent picture, I also drew the girl I'm planning on using in my next story. I can't wait to introduce all of you guys to her!

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	15. Chapter 15

Okay, so I've been slacking off lately. I usually try to update on regular intervals, but I didn't make it this time. I should have posted this yesterday, but instead I only started typing it then. This is from Tori's point of view, and it's kind of a slow chapter. I like it, though. I just sort of like interactions like these between different characters. Still though, I hope you like what I've written. I do, but it doesn't really progress the story much.

Sebastian: Care for a cup of tea?

SnowyNeko: Yes Please! I've been tired all day!

Yuki: Did you get enough sleep last night?

SnowyNeko: I actually did for once, but still… XP

Lelouch: Try going to bed earlier anyway.

SnowyNeko: But that's such a waste!

Sebastian: In what way?

SnowyNeko: I'm a night owl. I like staying up when it's quiet and everyone's asleep. Or at least, they're settling down.

Lelouch: Maybe lack of sleep is why you're so messed up.

SnowyNeko: I make up for it by sleeping all morning.

Yuki: She doesn't own Fruba, Black Butler, or Code Geass, or their characters.

* * *

I haven't got a wink of sleep. I've been up all night, my mind puzzling out what to do. Despite my efforts to remain focused (since it seems unlikely I'll get to sleep tonight) my mind keeps wandering back to my rage over N.N. She clearly upset Lelouch earlier by bringing up the Zero requiem, whatever that is. It was something he had meant to keep from himself. As much as I'd love to romanticize that he didn't want to hide it and just couldn't bring himself to tell me, I'm fairly certain he still doesn't want me knowing even after it's been brought to my attention. I am curious, but I'm going to have to trust him. If he thinks I'll need to know, he'll tell me. If he doesn't, I don't think I'll need to.

But still, it enrages me that N.N. had to bring it up. She also dug into the others' pasts and revealed things I'm sure they didn't want people to know. Like Lelouch and I being siblings. Well, we're only half siblings, but even so… I was kind of hoping we'd get a break from acting while we were here, and could show affection whenever we wanted for a short amount of time. But N.N. completely ruined that for us. My hopes were too high, anyway. I doubt we'll ever be able to publicly love each other, whether or not we win the war. If we do win, Lelouch is likely to be the next emperor and he won't be able to let others know of our relationship. It would be a scandal for the papers. If we loose…well, maybe it'd be okay then. We won't live for very long if that happens.

"Are you awake, miss Tori?" Sebastian asks in a low voice, as not to wake anyone else.

"None of your business," I grumble. How long has it been? It seems like ages have passed since the lights have turned off and the others have gone to sleep.

"You've been restless all night," he tells me as if I didn't already know. "For me, it'd be difficult to miss that you aren't asleep."

"Then can you help, if you're so insistent on pointing it out?"

"I'm afraid I only know how to comfort my mistress."

I almost laugh. Man, does that sound wrong. But they are engaged, even if he is a demon. It's probably not too off the mark from what it sounds like. Then again, how would I know?

"So, when did you first meet Kara?" I wonder. If sleep isn't an option, I might as well talk.

"I'm not sure of the exact year." He chuckles. "I wasn't too observant back then. I just didn't care."

"Okay, then _how_ did you first meet?"

"She summoned me, of course. It's how I meet all of my masters and mistresses. She wanted revenge on the emperor at that time, and I was there to help."

Interesting. In that way, Sebastian is a lot like me. We both either are or were support for our beloveds, who just so happen to want to overtake the emperor of their time period. What're the odds?

"Was she successful?" I ask.

"With me at her side, how could she not have been?"

I smile to myself. How nice. I'd love to think that way, that we'll win for sure and come out unscathed in the end, but that's just unrealistic. Nothing more than fanciful thinking. Him being a demon doesn't hurt his cause, of course. Without geass, Lelouch and I may not have been able to come as far as we have. It helps to be above the ordinary.

I muffled moan draws my attention to Lelouch's sleeping figure. The lighting in the room is practically none, but I can still make out his tossing figure. He's having a nightmare again. He's come to me after having them more than once. I caught him one day taking a nap and saw him unsettled. When he woke up, I asked him about it and he readily told me. They're all about his identity as Zero, or our father, so he can't confide in anyone else. He wouldn't if he could, though. The only reason I got him to bypass his pride and confess it all is because I caught him in the middle of one. The worst, he told me, was a reoccurring nightmare about Nunnally. She would find out about his persona of Zero and freak out, screaming in fear of him. Then she'd wheel away desperately, falling out of her wheelchair and continuing to crawl as fast as she could. Before he can ever do anything, she gets run over by his own knightmare.

All I could do at the time was hold him and reassure him that none of it is real. I assured him that Nunnally was fine, and that she could never hate him. Whenever I think about it, I faintly relive the horror or the nightmare I had so many times before I found Lelouch again. Over and over I would watch Lelouch die.

I lean out of the bed, grabbing one of his shoulders and shaking him. His breathing relaxes as he wakes up, fading back into reality.

"Sorry," he apologizes.

"The same one?"

He sighs and I take it as a yes. Careful not to disturb Kara or Vierra, I slide out of bed and settle down by Lelouch. He tosses his blanket over me as well and we sit there in the dark, staring at each other without seeing.

"Are you okay with this?" he whispers. "The others know we're siblings."

"They're all from different time periods than we are, so the only one's we may see again are Sebastian and possibly Kara," I reason. I doubt we'll meet them anyway. Demons may not be immortal and I have no idea how Kara's been alive as long as she has. Even if they both still exist, what're the chances of us meeting face to face again? "I should probably remind you, demons don't sleep. Sebastian is hearing and seeing all of this."

"Sebastian?"

"Yes, Lelouch?"

"Don't tell anyone else."

"Of course." I can almost see a bow going with his words and smile. "But if my mistress asks me, I will not lie to her." We're safe, then. I can't imagine Kara specifically asking if Lelouch and I are in a relationship when she knows we're related. This partially incestuous relationship bothered me for years, but I've gotten over it. I don't Lelouch minded once he admitted to himself that he likes me. But it's inevitable that other people would find it gross and disgusting. I would also add in sinful with those adjectives, but with a demon in the room, I think it would be an improper comparison.

"Why were you awake?" Lelouch questions.

I close my eyes since I can't see him anyway. "I couldn't sleep. Too much on my mind."

"That's our weakness, isn't it," he murmurs. "We think too much."

"It especially doesn't help with people like Mao or N.N, does it?" _YAWWN _"Maybe I can get some shut eye before everyone wakes up."

"Goodnight, Victoria." I feel he lips press against my eyelids and all the tension I'd been holding falls away. Yes, this is definitely the person I'd go to the end of the earth for. Or, in this case, the end of the universe.

"Yuki, I require your assistance." N.N.'s assertive voice roughly jolts me out of my sleep. Actually, I don't know if I could call it sleep exactly. It was more like a state of rest. I probably wasn't out of it for more than an hour or two. I groan, forcing my eyes to open against the blinding light.

"If he's going, I'm coming with!" Vierra's being rebellious again. Her personality seems to be one with a lot of spunk, but I can see it in her eyes that she worries constantly. She's a protective sort of character.

"You'd only get in the way, darling," N.N. purrs. "I only have use for his power at the moment."

"I said I'm coming." I glance over without sitting up and see her clinging to Yuki's hands. It's always his hands. They're obviously a couple, no doubt about that, but now that I think about it, I've never seen them hug. With the way they hold onto each other, you'd think they'd be the kind to do it consistently, but I've never so much as Yuki or Vierra put an arm around the other.

"Please," Yuki pleads, "She won't cause any trouble. If you let her come with, I promise she'll be careful."

Smart boy. Whether he's doing it intentionally or not, I can't be sure, but he's using words that assure N.N. that she's in control. He could have said if she comes along, but instead he phrased it in a way that referred to the choice as primarily N.N's. That's sure to boost her ego and sense of control, but at the same time makes her more susceptible to allowing him his way.

"Alright," she exhales, tone annoyed, but I can see in her eyes a glimmer of satisfaction. Yuki must've done it by accident, or else she would've seen what he was trying to do.

Just as quick as she came, she leaves with Yuki and Vierra. The door shuts behind her and again I hear what seems to be the lock. I moan. We won't be going anywhere soon, it seems. How long do we have before the universes collapse?

"They aren't serving breakfast?" I look over at Lelouch, realizing he's awake. Kara is still sound asleep. That girl would be able to sleep through an entire battle, maybe even if she got shot. She didn't get up when Vierra screamed the other night, either.

"Prisoners don't get that sort of luxury," I say, sitting up.

"Well we have to eat something. At least, the two of us do." Ah, I'd forgotten. Kara and Sebastian don't eat, do they? I could really use a hardy meal right about now. Although Mary told us that we technically don't need to eat now that we're currently just souls, the food we've had for the past few days hasn't been top notch. I'm hungry.

"Excuse me." A small girl stands in the doorway. I stare at her, disbelieving. What is she doing, opening up a prison and interacting with the prisoners?

"What is it?" I ask, dumbfounded.

"I heard you were locked in here without food. I came to bring you to breakfast."

* * *

Who is this little girl? I have no idea. I just sort of sat there staring at the screen for a few minutes after I typed the 'I'm hungry', then created the little girl. Why not? I'll either put a really deep back story to her, or just make her a regular little girl. Every story needs its ordinary characters that have nothing to do with the plot, right? I think it makes it more natural. We'll both find out who she is next time.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry it took me a while to write this one. I had to get creative, because it wouldn't make sense if a completely different universe had food similar to ours, would it? Anyway, this is from Kara's point of view, and we finally get to find out who the little girl is! I literally made her up as I went, which I'm finding I'm doing a lot with characters from this world. I wonder if that's how it'll be with the others? Probably not, since Fruits Basket already has its characters and I have King Lucifer thought up already, to some extent. Anyway, enjoy the story!

SnowyNeko: So, what'd you guys do this weekend?

Yuki: I planted blueberries in my garden.

Sebastian: I cleaned up the house.

Lelouch: Nothing much.

SnowyNeko: That's pretty typical of all of you.

Yuki: You think?

SnowyNeko: Yupperdoodles. I had a couple of friends over to hang out.

Lelouch: You sure you didn't just lie in bed the entire time?

SnowyNeko: My whole life isn't me sleeping. (only three fourths of it)

Lelouch: ...Uhuh, I believe you.

SnowyNeko: Why do I get the feeling you're lying?

Sebastian: SnowyNeko does not own any of the animes or their characters used in this story.

* * *

"What is it?" I moan, cringing. Sebastian's hand is resting on my shoulder, shaking me gently. I don't want to wake up yet! The bed is so comfortable, and I can actually sleep for the first time in forever. I would ask for another hour, but Sebastian wouldn't be waking me up without something happening.

"We are leaving for breakfast, milady," he whispers in my ear. My eyes fly open and I jerk my head away from him. My face, I can feel, has grown hot.

"Please refrain from doing that," I huff, my hair hiding my embarrassed expression. "Now, what was that about breakfast?"

"I came to get you, miss." I glance over to see a young girl with bleach blonde hair and shocking green eyes. She grins, showing me a perfect set of white teeth. "You and your friends!"

I slide out of bed and kneel down by her. "What's your name?"

"My name's B.B!"

"Well thank you for coming to get us, B.B."

"You're welcome!" she responds brightly. "Was big sister mean to you? She locked you in here and didn't even bring you food. I'll have to tell her off when she gets home."

"Big sister? Does she mean N.N?" Tori wonders.

"Yup! Big sister N.N. is too serious. She's never nice to any strangers." B.B. sets her lips in a pout. "So that's why I'm here! Mama always said we have to be nice to guests. Come on, I'll show you the way to the cafeteria!"

"Would that be okay with everyone else?" Lelouch asks her. "Wouldn't they get mad at you?"

"Of course not! Not everyone is as boring as big sister." She grabs my hand and tugs me towards the open door. I get to my feet to follow, Tori and Lelouch following my lead. Only once we're out in the hallway does it occur to me that this may not be the best idea. We're treated as prisoners, after all. If we leave the room, wouldn't they take it as a sign of resistance and use it as an excuse to abuse, or even kill us?

I look over to Sebastian, my gaze carrying my worry. He shakes his head, telling me to just go along with it. The four of us don't say anything as B.B. leads us around, but she continues to tell us all about herself and where we are.

"The cafeteria is the prettiest place here, other than the royal rooms. You'll love it! The floor is as sparkling as the chandeliers, and the tables are covered in shiny white cloths. The plates are all decorated, with tiny donier rocks in the edges. Oh, that's right! N.N. told me you aren't from around here, so you wouldn't know what donier rocks are. They're this really pretty black shade on the outside, but on the inside they glow this really wonderful blue! Donier blue is my favorite color! But the best part about the cafeteria is the food! There are-"

She proceeds to list off at least ten foods I've never heard of before. When I look to the others for explanation, they shrug. I guess the foods she's describing aren't found on earth in any time period.

"The best, though, are the roasted wickorm roots! I don't know how they make them, but I've never tasted anything better! Pair them with a niffle brike, and it makes the best dessert!"

"Is that so? I'll have to try them, then," I conclude.

"WHAT? You've never had wickorm roots? Or are you talking about niffle brikes?"

"I've had neither, I'm afraid." This ends with her going off on a spiel about foods that don't exist on earth. Soon enough she's made me an expert on foods I've never seen, let alone tasted. She compares them to other foods I have no knowledge of and specifies which goes good with which, and which combinations to avoid at all costs. Her rambling passes the time so fast, we're at the cafeteria in no time at all.

"We're here!" She announces. She presses her hand to the wall in front of us and it dissolves, much to my astonishment. Behind it is a room exactly like she'd described earlier. My eyes widen at the majesty of it. The only place I've seen coming close to such elegance is the queen's castle.

We're met with the stares of everyone inside. Their gazes range from bored to curious, but a surprising few are the only ones with hostility. I do my best to ignore them as B.B. drags me over to a buffet of food. She grabs ahold of a pink stick that fades into green at the end. The smell it gives off is strongly of sugar, but not like any sweet I can name.

"Try it!" She urges me. Hesitant, I bite into the stick. It doesn't break off in my mouth and I feel like an idiot. B.B. giggles. "You're supposed to drink it, silly!" She licks the top of it and a hole appears. Then she slurps it up. She hands me another one and I lick the top as she had. The material on the top simply seems to vanish, so I tilt it back to take a sip. A slightly syrupy liquid flows into my mouth and I cough in surprise.

B.B. looks up at me innocently. "Do you like it?"

"It's delicious!" Although unexpectedly tart. That's the only word I can think that even vaguely resembles how it tastes. My ignorance of the treat gets muffled laughter echoing throughout the room.

"Try it on top of this." B.B. offers me a heart-shaped, spongy sort of, grey thing. It doesn't look all that appetizing, but not wanting to disappoint, I pour out some of the liquid onto it and put it in my mouth. The texture is strangely smooth, and the taste sweet. I smile at her, swallowing it.

Then my expression falls and I whip my head to Sebastian, wide eyed. I'm eating! How am I eating? For some reason, neither my stomach nor my mind reject this food. Is it because it's from a different universe? But how would that change things?

A tug on my dress brings my attention back to B.B. "Did you not like it?" she asks me worriedly.

"No, I do!" I assure her. "It's just, I haven't had an appetite in a while. I'm surprised I'm able to eat." This of course brings the smile back to her face.

"Of course! Aren't wickorm roots just the best? And the niffle brike, too! The best part is that they keep them out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!"

I notice the others grabbing plates and cautiously selecting food from the unfamiliar buffet, so I do the same. Sebastian stands at my side pointing out the ones he thinks I'll like the most. Everything he or B.B. suggest goes onto my plate. Who knows how long I'll be able to eat? I'm going to take advantage of it while I can.

Apparently there is more than one type of brike. The niffle brike is her favorite, but she also recommends to me the sek brike and a frindel brike. Each one is a different color, and she tells me they're each made with a different type of berry. Once we're all satisfied with our plates of oddities, B.B. brings us to a table separate from the others.

"You sure seem to know a lot about food, B.B," Tori comments casually. "Are you interested in cooking?"

She nods. "I wanna be a chef when I grow up! But I wonder if there will be the same recipes, then." She furrows her brow, troubled.

"Why wouldn't there be?" I ask. Tori and Lelouch both lean in a little, intrigued as to why it bothers her so much.

"Because N.N. said a lot are things are lost in wars, and she wants to start a civil war. And then there's the ongoing war with the demons. What if by the time I'm old enough to be an apprentice, no one remembers how to make brikes? Or which spices to roast wickorm roots with? And big sister might never have hesters again." I'm going to assume hesters are some sort of food N.N. likes.

Sebastian smiles at B.B. and she tries to offer one back. "You're a very kind girl, B.B. It's nice of you to worry about your sister like that. What if we could stop both of those wars for you? Would you let us help?"

"Oh, could you?" She lights up, excitement shining in her eyes.

"We could, but you have to tell us all you know about N.N. and her plans. We can't stop her unless we know how. Then you can grow up to cook all the brikes, wickorm roots, and hesters you want. How does that sound?"

"I'll tell, I'll tell!" she agrees giddily. "N.N. told me she wants to start it this week, but I don't know when. She and her friends meet up on the sixtieth level every Tuesday at ten p.m. She thinks I don't know when she sneaks out, but I've followed her before! They talk a lot about making more friends and overtaking the royal guards, which is ridiculous. Everyone knows the guards have the best geass. The stories say they can form any sort of weapons out of thin air, or wipe memories, and use mind control! I don't want Big sister to face off with them, because she'll loose. What if something happens to her?"

"Nothing is going to happen," I promise. It's a promise I'm likely to break, though. "Is that everything?"

"I think her last meeting is tonight. They said after this, they won't need to meet."

"Thank you, we'll do what we can." That promise, I can keep, and I will. For this adorable little girl who wants nothing more than to learn to cook, and to watch out for other people, I will keep this promise. Now it's a matter of, what _can_ we do?

* * *

Who likes B.B? I decided to go with the innocent onlooker thing for her. It's best to have at least a few characters not involved with the overall plot, right? Let me assure you, all the foods I've named here are fake, and if they resemble any food you know of that is by complete coincidence, although I did my best to make them abstract. By the way, if any of you know the user CleverKitsune, please tell her on my behalf to **read**. She'll understand what I mean.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	17. Chapter 17

Wow. It's been around a year since I've last advanced this story any. Time really goes by when you aren't paying attention. Anyway, I have a few chapters written that I thought I should post, but unfortunately I've also started a new fanfiction that I plan to focus on. I won't be active for very long, but I'll at least post these few before I go dormant again. These are still characters I love, though. I think the problem is that I have most of this planned out down to the details, and that almost drains the fun out of writing it. Almost. I find it easier to write when I come up with things as the story progresses naturally. But, whatever. I don't mean to try your patience, guys, but if I try to write when I'm not inspired the story will end up being bland. I want this to evolve into something grand, and this seems to be taking longer than I'd originally expected.

Without further ado, I give you the seventeenth chapter that I have withheld from you for all too long.

* * *

N.N taps her foot impatiently, her eyes narrowed as she reads our confusion. "Hug."

"What?" I blink.

"I said hug. That's how he transforms, right?" She waves us on. "If you don't, I will. Hug him already."

"I understand what you're trying to do, but my transformation is unpredictable," Yuki reasons, his exterior calm. I don't need the ability to read minds, to know how uncomfortable he is, though. He naturally feels out of place almost anywhere, and we clearly aren't just anywhere. We're in an entirely different universe, with entirely different dimensions, and apparently the fate of everything ever suspended above our heads. And those cables holding it up are in danger of snapping.

Normally someone would find that information concerning, but N.N doesn't seem to mind that the end of everything is coming if we don't fix it. The least she could do is help up. But no, she instead takes advantage of our alien abilities and forces us to assist in her freaking coup d'etat .

"What should I care? Just get it done. When you're finished I'll send you back to your friends, and you can all whine to each other about your tragic fate and the burden of worlds. If you fail, all I have to do is withhold you from your goal. I have no problem with doing so."

"Fine," I growl, holding my arms out to him. "Let's get this over with." He doesn't respond, hesitant. Releasing the tension in my muscles, I step towards him calmly. What he needs is a steady hand, not an annoyed and impulsive girl. Before I touch him, though, it occurs to me that he might not want to touch me because….I'm a corpse. I stop mid step, arms retracting in uncertainty. Of course he might not want to be near me. This is the body that I shot myself in. This is the original body of mine, that is neither from his world, or supposed to be walking. The very body that's been buried and decaying under the earth for almost an entire year.

"Is that so?" I jerk when N.N speaks, having let it slip my mind that she can read thoughts. "So you're literally a walking corpse? Of course no one would want to touch you, then. That's disgusting."

I glare at her, but let my hands fall to my side. Anyone would be grossed out. If he doesn't want me near him, then-

My breath catches when I feel his hand on my head, dragging me closer to him. For a second, I can feel his arms around me. It's a warmth that I long for, but rarely ever feel. I don't even have time to hastily return the embrace before a puff of smoke temporarily blinds me. As it clears, I can just barely catch the outline of Yuki slipping into the air vent to eavesdrop as N.N instructed.

"Aren't you two just a darling couple," she muses, smirking in satisfaction.

"What now?" I ask, ignoring her comment.

She bends her finger, beckoning me to follow. "Now I feed you. You seem to have quite a voracious appetite while in that body. I'm going to assume that, unlike the others, you actually do need to eat to maintain function." I scoff at the sentiment. Really? She's going to take care of me _now,_ after holding us prisoner? Having turned to lead me down the hallway, she flips her head around to face me. "Don't misunderstand me, sweetie. As long as I have you, I can control that mouse boy. Excuse me, rat boy. Although useless elsewise, you and that Kara girl come in handy for swaying more applicable assets."

"That's a lot of big words," I grumble. I follow her anyway. What else can I do? "You will send Yuki back once he's finished, right?"

"I may," she says vaguely, waving her hand as if it doesn't matter. Her flippant response flairs my temper, but I let it simmer without provoking her. She can probably hear my silent aggression without me piping up, anyway.

"Ah, R.R!" N.N suddenly grabs the arm of a passing man with curly green hair. "Have you had lunch yet?"

He shakes his head, glancing around before sharply whispering, "We're not supposed to talk outside!"

"Yes, I know, but I need you to take this girl," she nods to me, "to eat. She's currently a prisoner under suspicion of conspiring with the demons, but I have more important things to get to rather than watching her eat. You have to watch her. When I'm done, I'll come fetch her from the dining room."

The man runs his hand through his hair, letting out a long breath. "Fine, leave it to me."

"You have my gratitude." Then she scowls at me. "If I discover you left his side for even a second, I will not let you off lightly." Without another word, she pivots on her heel and struts back the way we came.

"I was going to eat with my wife today, but I guess not," R.R complains. He whacks a wall and it dissolves, opening to a small closet like room. "Get in."

Not really caring that I should stay quiet in this situation, I inquire, "What is it?"

He stares at me in disbelief, but quickly shakes it off. "Just get in already." Looking anywhere but at him, I step inside and he follows. Trailing his hand across one of the walls, the one from before reappears.

"Forty fourth floor."

The lighting all of a sudden flashes white, and then he once again opens the wall. Nothing has changed, except that the ceiling is slightly higher. Was that some sort of elevator? I'm pushed out ahead of him roughly, to which I put my shoulders back and send him my best evil eye. They might call me a prisoner, but I am by no means without dignity.

Some ways down the hall, he again presses his hand to the wall and it vanishes under his touch. That must be their usual kind of door. It's pretty cool to look at, but how they can tell where something is, I have no idea. I'd be lost within seconds if I was left on my own.

I bite my lip to keep from gaping at the room, which is garnished fit for a king. Giant chandeliers with some sort of glowing crystals adorning them dangle from the ceilings regally, tables draped with pristine white cloths and each seat set with what I assume are silverware. The bowls and plates are no different than what I'm used to, though, other than being made of some material I would never be able to identify. Compared to this room, mine and Yuki's school's attempt at a medieval dance could very well be nothing but a commoner's residence.

"The buffet is over there," the man points out to me, pressing his hand to my back to get me moving. I take a step before he can push me into stumbling, pretending to speed up my pace because of the food.

At least, I think it's food. I guess it's illogical to think that a whole other universe would have the same diet as my old one. Fruits Basket did, but that's because it was basically an alternative to my native universe. Or, is that a justification at all? If what Mary said is right, then Fruits Basket first existed before it ever entered the mind of the creator. Is that what you call a parallel universe?

Finding my thought process too complicated, I switch over to deciding what to put in my mouth. It is true that this body is never satisfied with however much food I seem to eat, and my stomach is gnawing away at me, but I don't know what anything is.

"Try this."

I have to lean back when a pink-green stick is shoved into my face. I follow it to an arm, which eventually leads to a black haired boy who doesn't look too much younger than me.

"What is it?" I ask, a sickly sweet smell wafting into my nostrils.

"It's wickorm root. Are you with the people who were in here with B.B earlier?"

"I don't know who that is."

"But what about the tall man with hair the same color as mine? And the girl in the white dress? And that guy wearing that full body suit with a cape? And-"

"Yeah, I'm with them," I interrupt, not needing to hear him describe Tori to know she's next on the list. "How'd you know?"

"Because you looked as lost as they did," he snickers, waving the root around. "That girl in white didn't even know how to eat this!"

"Hey kid! That's a prisoner you're-" R.R immediately cuts himself off when the kid turns to face him. "Z.Z! I'm sorry, but that girl-"

"I can talk with whomever I want," the kid shoots back, oddly respectful and rebellious at the same time. "Or do you have a problem with that?"

"No, it's just-"

"That she's a prisoner? That she's suspected of siding with the demons? I'm not an idiot, R.R. I'm fully aware that N.N has trapped them under false charges." The grown man shrinks under the words of this child, bringing a grin to my face. I can't help but giggle. Z.Z turns his back to R.R, dismissing him. "I'll watch her for now, if that's okay with you." I don't think R.R has much of a choice as he occupies himself with the buffet, allowing the kid's wish without resistance.

"What's up with that?" I wonder, accepting the root Z.Z still holds out to me.

He tilts his head, confused. "You talk strange."

I consider my words for a moment, realizing that despite how often those words are used around my universes, they are technically slang. Apparently it's a sort of slang that isn't used here.

"I'm asking how you were able to do that," I clarify. I study the root in my hands, trying to figure out how to eat it properly. My first instinct is to bite into it, but I'm guessing that was Kara's thought, too. From the way he said it, it sounds like she made a bit of a fool of herself.

"Easy. He's scared of me. I've got a geass that negates other geass."

"Is that so?" I let that sink in, shifting my gaze from the food to the boy. "I keep hearing about this 'geass' thing. Is it like superpowers?"

He doesn't respond for a moment, examining me. "Where are you from, exactly?"

"A different universe," I tell truthfully.

"Not the demons'?"

"Nope, definitely not. Imagine a place where all of the colors are vivid and bright everywhere, where people's eyes are typically a bit bigger than you're used to here, and where there are brown things that sprout from the ground everywhere, and on them they grow millions of green spades. The buildings are all separate, where to eat and where to sleep and where to play. There're these things called windows, which are clear spots in the walls that let us see outside. And instead of walls that disappear, we have these things similar to what the prison cells have, except they don't make that noise when they lock. We call them doors."

"Is that so?" he murmurs, eyes alight with intrigue. He waits for me to go on, picking up another whatever-he-called-it root and licking the top. I copy his motion, a hole appearing at the end of the root. I almost gag when instead of being honey like in sweetness, the syrup inside has the same consistency but is instead sour.

"And then," I continue, "There's my native universe. It's similar to the one I just described, but the colors are similar to how they are here. People usually only have yellow, brown, black or red hair there, though. The one I just came from has animals everywhere! From what I've seen, it has plains of tall grasses and giant forests, which are huge groups of those brown things I described earlier. They have something called dinosaurs there, which are no longer in my native universe. They're these weird, rough skinned things with claws and fangs. Seeing them was _really _cool."

He leans against the buffet, as if settling in for a story. "So you travel across universes? How do you do that?"

"That, uh...gets a bit complicated. And I've only been to those three, discluding yours."

"But do you plan on going to more?"

I think about Fruits Basket. I've already been there, but Mary also emphasized the demon realm. That counts as another universe, right? "At least one other," I admit.

"And can I come?" He requests, excitement evident in his expression.

So that was his goal. "I don't think it's that easy, kid."

"I'm not a kid," he argues. I can't deny that he doesn't act like one. His tone is defiant, yes, but he isn't pouting. "My name is Z.Z, and I would appreciate if you'd address me as it."

"Seriously though, Z.Z-" I stop mid sentence, N.N's voice reaching my ears. Whipping my head around, I find her shoving Yuki into the room. "Hey! Don't be so rough with him!" I dash to his side, threading my fingers together with his.

"You got enough to eat, I hope," she overlooks my complaint.

"I'll accompany them back to the cell." Z.Z steps around me, meeting the older woman's gaze eye to eye. When she sees him, her glare becomes sharper.

"Thank you for the offer, but you wouldn't know which cell they're in. You might wind up opening the cell of a terrible criminal."

"They're in cell 379, correct?"

N.N doesn't gape, but I can see the surprise, then anger boiling as she stands taller and clenches her jaw. "Why do you want to do such a thing?"

"Because this girl," he jerks his thumb at me, "is interesting. Is there a reason why you don't want me escorting them?"

"But of course," she gives a thin smile. "These people are suspects, possibly spies from the enemy side. I wouldn't want you hurt. You're still such a young child, after all."

"You forgot my thirteenth birthday, didn't you?" the boy chides, totally comfortable confronting the mind reader. "I'm old enough to participate in the council. I believe that means I'm no longer qualified as a child."

"Just because you're legally qualified as an adult doesn't mean you are one," she insists. "Look at yourself, and look at them. Not only are they bigger, but there are two of them. What if they try to overwhelm you?"

He grabs my wrist, ready to go. "Now you're just giving them ideas. I'm taking them because I want to. Why don't you take a break and eat? If not, we can discuss this matter over lunch." N.N doesn't respond in time, making him assume he's won. "We'll be leaving, then. Have a pleasant day, N.N."

* * *

Z.Z was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I guess that's a good sign that my subconscious hasn't given up on weaving this story. I like him a lot. I've always been drawn towards utter confidence like he possesses. Geez, that's a word with a lot of S-es. Anyway, this chapter was pretty long compared to its predecessors, so I hope I've made some of your days happier. I've mentioned before that I'm pretty hard on Vierra as she goes through all of this, so I'm glad this chapter exists. Z.Z isn't exactly a groupie or anything, but he really does like Vierra. She doesn't treat him like a baby. The way she sees it, they're on equal grounds. She doesn't particularly care about his physical appearance so much as his mental maturity. And he's mentally mature enough to carry a legitimate and entertaining conversation. I plan on him being a character I develop instead of leaving him to die off.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	18. Chapter 18

Second chapter since I started re-uploading. This is from Tori's point of view. Ah, Princess Victoria vi Britannia. Isn't that such a pretty name? I have to wonder why she doesn't like her full name. She really likes the 'vi', though, since she adopted it from Lelouch and Nunally. Is it strange that I'm a fan of my own writing? This may sound a bit narcissistic, but I really like what I write. I go back and read my previous stories all the time. So just as much as I love Tori as her creator, I also adore her as a fan. When I put it into words like this, it admittedly does strike me as a bit strange, but whatever. I don't have any hard feelings towards her for taking my Lelouch, either. For the most part. The're cute together.

And now, story time!

* * *

"It shouldn't be too hard to crash the meeting," I consider. "All we have to do is find someone from the government."

"That's exactly our problem," Lelouch retorts. "First we have to get out of this room without setting off an alarm, then find a noble from this world, and then convince them that we're telling the truth. If it's me, I won't have too much trouble with that last part, but it's possible they have some guard against my geass."

I reason, "The guy who first greeted us said that your geass was unusual, so I doubt that." We've been trying to decide how to stop N.N since B.B returned us to the room, but there hasn't been much progress. Sebastian would typically be a major advantage, I imagine, except that they're already at war with demons here. They wouldn't be waging it if they didn't have weapons effective when used on demons. My geass is good for slipping around unnoticed, but it can only be used on so many people at once. The second I entered a crowded place I'd be discovered. Kara doesn't seem to have any special power, although she clearly has an influence over Sebastian's behavior. Vierra seems even more ordinary than Kara, and even though I still have my suspicions regarding her boyfriend, I have no idea what it is Yuki is hiding. Lelouch is likely our best asset right now, but that's not much. We still have no way of getting to where we need to be.

"There must be something!" Kara pleads, glancing between us from her place sitting on the bed. "I promised B.B we'd try! We can't just sit here and let this continue the way it is!"

"Let's not forget," Sebastian adds, "that our top priority is closing the tear."

She wrings her hands in her lap. "I know, but…"

A hiss causes me to whirl, facing the door. It slides open, but it's not N.N who's revealed. Yuki and Vierra stand in the opening, a young boy with hair as black as midnight in front of them with his palm extended as if to touch the door that's moved. He's the first to react, walking towards us and fiddling with a card hanging around his neck. I immediately recognize it as the same card N.N had when she opened the door for us to leave the interrogation room.

"So this is the little group of misfits traveling through dimensions," he ponders, studying us with a critical eye. When his gaze drifts to me, he notices my fascination with his card. He holds it up tauntingly. "You want this? With it, you can leave the room whenever you want. Which is why I'm talking to you from in here, instead of out there." The door sizzles shut once more, all three of them having entered the room.

"Give me the card," Lelouch demands, extending his hand. The boy turns to look at him and Lelouch repeats his command, no doubt applying his geass. "Give me the card to let us out of here."

"That's not a very nice way to ask," he snorts, clutching it tight to himself.

Lelouch falters, but only for a moment. "I said give me the card!"

"I don't really like you, so no." I meet Lelouch's gaze, mirroring the confusion in his.

"He won't just hand it over because we ask," Kara sighs as if that were obvious.

"Then," Sebastian suggests, "shall I use force, milady?"

"Don't bother," the boys scoffs. He turns, bringing the necklace with the card up over his head and tossing it at Vierra. Unprepared, she barely manages to catch it. "I'll help _you_."

She blinks. "Why me?"

"Because I like you. Do I need more of a reason?"

"She has a boyfriend," Yuki interjects, stepping closer to her.

"You flatter her," the boy snickers. "Don't worry, I won't chase after her. She's not all that pretty."

"Hey!"

"I never did learn your names. If I'm going to be your savior, then I should at least know what you're called. I'm Z.Z."

"Vierra."

"And I'm Yuki."

"My name is Kara. Thank you for this."

"Don't thank me until it's over," he entreats. "And you, you're a demon right?"

Sebastian bows, the epitome of the perfect butler. "I am Sebastian."

I lean against the wall. "Call me Tori." It's undeniably odd that this boy would so freely offer us assistance, but right now, we don't have much of a choice but to accept. We need the help.

I'm Lelouch," Lelouch introduces, finishing off the introductions. "I have to ask, why are you helping us?"

"I already told you I'm not helping you. I'm helping _her_, Vierra, and her interests just happen to coincide with yours."

"Why are-"

"Don't you listen at all?" Z.Z snaps. "I'm not going to repeat myself because you didn't pay attention. Now, do you want to make some sort of plan, or are we going to stand around chatting the day away? I for one would rather have everything sorted out instead of barging in head first with no order."

No one says anything. He's unexpectedly mature, isn't he? His reasoning is without flaw, as well. He seems to be thinking quite rationally about things for his age. But the reason we all fell silent is likely out of shame that it wasn't any of us that brought us back on track. Not that any of us would openly admit it.

"Can you bring higher ups to the meeting?" Lelouch asks. "Or will they listen to...a kid?"

When he's referred to as a kid, Z.Z immediately shows a reaction. "I definitely can," he snarks. "Anything I say goes here. If I wanted, I could order you free right now."

Vierra gawks. "You're joking! You can do that much just because you have some sort of magic cancellation button?"

"It's not magic," he corrects, "but geass. I was born this way."

My eyes widen before I can reign myself in. "There's such a thing?"

"No wonder…" Lelouch mutters, eying Z.Z wearily. Sensing his instant unease at the newfound knowledge, I lift my hand to touch his arm. The motion is small enough not to be noticeable to everyone else, but he glances down at my hand before meeting my eyes. I smile, just barely twisting my lips.

"Okay, then," he collects himself, stepping forward. I drop my hand, purpose fulfilled. "Why aren't you already doing that if you've decided to help us. Help Vierra, at least."

"Because N.N thinks I'm oblivious to her rebellion, and I'd like to keep it that way." His grin widens, a childish mischief falling across his face. "Besides, it's more fun to tear her down at her moment of triumph. Don't worry about a thing. I'll sort everything out and get the guards where they need to be. When the clock says it's ten, use the card to leave. I'll have someone waiting to lead you to where the rebellion is taking place."

"Wait!" I interrupt, putting my hand up to stop the flow of words from his mouth. "If you can do all this on your own, why are you getting us involved?"

"You promised to B.B you would, didn't you? Once it's over, you can do whatever you want. I assume it should end tonight." He chuckles to himself. "Really, B.B has such a slippery tongue. She couldn't keep a secret if it would kill her to share it. You have to appreciate her careful ear though. She doesn't miss a thing. So, have we reached an agreement?"

I glance over at Lelouch. His expression is unreadable as usual, but I get the feeling he's running through possibilities in his head. He doesn't want to team up with Z.Z if he can help it, but I'm not seeing much of a choice. Any other plan relies primarily on chance. Yes, he's one to take that risk and force the odds into his favor, but not only is this a new world where everyone has geass, but there's also a more reliable plan standing in front of us. Of course, that depends on exactly how genuine this boy is. If he was lying, though, then why did he give us the card so freely?

"We have," Lelouch concedes, extending his hand. Z.Z stares at is in question.

"What're you doing?"

"Ah!" Vierra approaches him, gesturing to Lelouch. "Where we're from, this is a form of sealing a contract. You're supposed to shake each other's hands."

The boy looks between her and the outstretched hand before raising his to take it. After one firm shake, they both release their hands and pull them away briskly.

"Alright," Z.Z concludes. "If N.N comes back before I send for you, do your best not to draw attention to yourselves as individuals. If you're thinking about something unusual to keep your mind off what we're planning, she'll only dig deeper." He turns to the door, nodding to Vierra. She presses the card against it, and a familiar sizzling sound fills the room. He doesn't look back at us as he leaves, the door fizzling back into place.

Lelouch finally relaxes his tension, leaning back against the wall. "Should we really be trusting that kid?"

"You should have answered that question before accepting his assistance," Sebastian responds.

"He did give us this," Vierra voices, holding up the keycard. "He's pretty snotty, but I think we can trust him."

"He seems to have some sort of attachment to you," I mention.

"Even if that's true," she complains, "he still had the nerve to insult me."

Yuki clasps her hand in his, which seems to be their go-to form of affection. "He was lying. Anyone can see how beautiful you are."

She scoffs. "Ever the prince." Her hand tightens around his, nevertheless.

Movement catches my attention out of the corner of my eye, causing me to peek over at the other couple. Kara's leaning on Sebastian's side, his hand now resting lovingly on her head. I never really thought about it until now, but there seems to be a substantial age difference between the two of them. She's clearly still a teenager, but he's undoubtedly older. I guess, though, that they've both been around a lot longer than they look.

A small pang strikes my heart as I absorb the sight of the two pairs comforting each other. None of us expected to be thrust into this sort of situation, but it was nice, at least, that we were all put into it with our significant others. But even though we've moved across universes, Lelouch and I still can't be open about our relationship.

I'm scared, too. I'm sure that Kara and Vierra can confide in their other halves whenever they begin to feel uneasy about this responsibility, but I can't. I can't just embrace Lelouch on a whim because I'm afraid of what's to come. I can't kiss him to stop myself from shaking, or hold his hand to keep myself standing. Because of our cursed blood, I can only take comfort in his presence. Everything else, I have to do on my own.

* * *

Imagine her disappointment when N.N revealed their blood relation to the others. Even though they'd been dragged into alternate universes and burdened with saving existence itself, at least they were away from the war and people who knew they were half siblings. But of course, N.N had to bring that up and ruin everything. Not only this, but she's traveling and stuck with two other couples who have no reserves about showing their affections for each other. That situation is little less than straight up torture. I'm not a very forgiving author, am I? Seriously, I need to give my characters a break! But god knows when that will happen...

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	19. Chapter 19

Gah, I feel like crap today. I would really love to say screw doing anything, but my mom just piled a ton of responsibility onto me and told me to get it done or else. Fun, right? Can I just fall into a twenty four hour long coma? And then wake up tomorrow and not have to worry about all this? I guess this is what I get for being lazy yesterday just cause it was Easter. Anyway, Kara's point of view this time. I think that I'm perhaps most attached to her out of all my characters because she was the first. Although, Hanako might be vying for that favorite spot. She's from my Tokyo Ghoul fanfic, which I invite you to check out. It's a pretty crazy ride.

I'm done with the self advertising. Go ahead and read.

* * *

We can't help but look when the door opens again. Not only are we curious who's behind it, but there's nothing to do in here. There are no books to read, nor board games to play. N.N returning is basically the only thing of interest to have happened since Z.Z left.

"Sebastian," she addresses him, causing me to stiffen. "You're coming with me."

He steps forward to go but I cling onto his sleeve, leaping to my feet. "Where he goes, I come with!" Unfortunately, I don't sound as confident as Vierra did when she insisted on accompanying Yuki. I keep my gaze level, though, not wavering under her glare.

"You serve a better purpose staying here," she refutes.

"But…" My eyes flicker to Sebastian before settling on the floor. What is she going to do with him? He wouldn't stand to be experimented on, would he? I wouldn't put it past her to do such a thing, with the way things have been playing out. What if she tortures him for information about the demon realm? Aren't they at war with each other?

"You worry incessantly," N.N smirks, drawing my attention back to her. She doesn't bother with me for more than those few words, gesturing for Sebastian to come. Reluctantly, I release his sleeve and plop back onto the bed.

I startle when he kneels before me, the familiar motion completely unpredicted. "I will return soon, Mistress Kara." He presses his lips to my hand, his garnet eyes glistening with amusement. I bite my lip. Why does he always find my insecurities so comical?

I watch, silent, as he stands and trails N.N out of the room. The moment the door shuts I'm crowded by Lelouch and Tori. Tori grabs my arms, gripping me urgently.

"Tell me," she orders, eyes stern, "what you were thinking about just now."

I shrink away. Normally, Sebastian would keep them at a distance. I wish he'd come back. Not only do her hands hurt, but she's kind of scaring me. "I...didn't want her to take Sebastian. She knows he's a demon after all. What if….what if she runs experiments on him, trying to find his weakness? Isn't that what people do during war?"

Her grip immediately relaxes and I let out a breath of relief, gathering it back to settle my heartrate. And then that air is pushed right back out of me when she gathers me in her arms.

"Thank you for having an innocent mind!" she exclaims. Unsure of what she means, I don't return the sudden embrace. Lelouch, too, seems to slouch with the absence of previous tension.

Seeing my confusion, Vierra explains, "Z.Z told us not to draw too much attention to ourselves, remember?" I let her words soak in before my mouth opens into an O of understanding.

"What if she read our plan! What if I just gave everything away!"

"Don't you get it?" Tori pulls back. "You didn't! If anything, you just helped our case! If that's really all you were considering, that's all she got! She'll probably figure that if that's your main concern, we aren't all that dangerous to her."

So that's why they're acting the way they are. Although, I'm hesitant to ask the next question that's floated to the top of my mind.

What would have happened if she'd found out?

My skin prickles at the thought, but no one else seems bothered. Have they thought about it yet? What she'd do to us if she discovered our plans? Or, is that the reason they seem so relieved? And what about Z.Z? What would she do to him? I wish Sebastian was still here so I could ask.

Suddenly, I lurch, gasping. My skin...it's like it's trying to pull off of me! My breathing hitches and I grab at the blankets, eyes scrunched shut in an attempt to block it out. My hands, arms, my entire body trembles. Every inch of me is tugging away.

"Kara?" At the sound of Yuki's voice, I force myself to lift my head. All eyes are on me. "Are you okay, Kara?"

I nearly nod when I'm taken again by the same sensation. My scream of both surprise and pain is barely muffled. Tori hovers in uncertainty, but Vierra rushes to my side, holding my head close and rocking me back and forth like a mother would her child.

"Kara." Her tone is soft. "What's wrong. What happened?"

I shake my head, the feeling dulled, but still...it's like there's gravity in every direction.

"It could be because you ate," Lelouch suggests. "Mary did say that you wouldn't be able to eat anything.

"Y-yeah," I choke. It must be that. But it doesn't feel like it is.

"It's ten o'clock," Tori notes, glancing back from the clock to Vierra. Vierra sends me a worried gaze, but force a smile up at her. Releasing me, she stands and goes to the door. All of us watch as she lifts the card from beneath her shirt and presses it to the exit. I think everyone lets out a sigh of relief when it opens as Z.Z promised. Outside, a familiar white haired girl rocks back on her heels impatiently.

"What took you so long?" B.B huffs. "Z.Z said you'd be out ten minutes ago!"

"He probably just wanted to make sure you'd be here," Tori reasons, comforting her.

"Um, and you are..?" Vierra inquires. The two of 'em haven't met yet, now that I think about it.

"You weren't here last time," the B.B realizes, examining her. "I'm B.B! Kara promised they'd stop my big sister from starting another fight!" Vierra looks back at me, but I disregard her, sliding off the bed and coercing myself to my feet. Really, I can barely stand.

"Let's go," I announce, sucking it it up. The least I can do is hide the pain so I do not trouble the others. I'm the one who vowed our assistance, anyway, and I had not exactly consorted with 'em before doing so.

A hand on my arm gets me to stop, Lelouch holding me back. "It might be better if you stay behind, Kara. Otherwise, you might end up getting in the way."

"What he means," Yuki rushes to correct, "is that if you aren't feeling well, you should stay back and rest. It would be bad if you were to collapse."

"I'll come," I shake off his hand. "I can handle a little dizziness."

"That didn't sound like being dizzy," Lelouch says, skeptical.

"I said I am _fine._ Are we going or not?"

B.B stays quiet, looking between all of us restlessly. Conceding, Lelouch shakes his head, but says no more. Vierra offers me her hand, but I refuse it. If Sebastian was here, he'd be insistent on carrying me, and I would have allowed him. Without him, though, I have my pride. I can surpass it for his sake, but I feel no reason to grind it to powder around these people who are….strangers.

Of course they're strangers. We only met two days ago. But was it really only two days? It feels like so much longer. It almost feels as if we've been at this for weeks, but no. We've only passed two nights, and this will be the third. Time is an odd thing, if it is a thing at all. It seems to flex, stretching and shrinking, with no set routine.

B.B begins down the hall and we follow. Lelouch and Tori walk directly behind her, Yuki and Vierra three steps ahead of me holding hands. Every now and again, Vierra glances back in concern, and every time I offer up a reassuring smile. The pulling hasn't gotten worse again, but it hasn't exactly gone away, either.

At the end of the hallway, we come to a dead end. I'm about to ask if she got lost when she taps her fingers lightly on the wall and it gives way to a small alcove. She motions for us to come in, so we do. The wall reappears once we're all safely inside.

"Floor thirty one, please," she requests to no one. The world flashes white and she opens the door.

"What was the point of that?" Tori wonders.

"It's kinda like an instant elevator," Vierra explains. I guess she's been in one, before. It's curious, though, these elevators. They're a recent invention in the time frame I'm used to, and yet they seem to be implemented even in an entire other universe. Of course, there are stairs and slopes throughout the building from what I've seen, but B.B's casual usage of it leads me to assume that this is the preferred way around. These elevators must be much safer than the ones I've seen.

The moment my foot leaves the elevator, I seize, every muscle inside of me tensing. I have to clench my teeth, biting my cheek for extra measure to keep myself from crying out. That yanking sensation is spiking again. What is it? Somehow, it's worse than the first time. Only this time, I happened to be slightly more prepared.

"Kara?"

"I'm fine." I strain my voice to sound relatively normal. "Thank you for your concern, Vierra."

"If it starts again, I'll go back with you," she offers.

"That's very sweet of you, but I'm sure it won't be necessary." What _is_ this? The only thing I can compare it to is to when we were first brought here, right before we left the mansion. That time, however, I also felt thrown off balance somehow, and had a migraine. On the other hand, now it's just the sensation of being torn apart. When will it stop?

With effort, I persuade my feet to move forward, dragging behind the others. Oh, I wish Sebastian was here right now! It likely hasn't even been half an hour since he left my side, and yet I ache for his presence! If only he was here….not that I think he'd be able to do much to help with the pain, but seeing him might make it a bit more bearable.

I then stop in my tracks, blinking.

It's faded. It is still there, but compared to before it's only a background sensation. Shaking my head, I continue forward, but after no more than seven steps it returns with a vengeance. It takes everything in me not to crumple over in agony. _What _is going _on_? Gathering my strength, I continue forward. We round a corner to a sight I hadn't fathomed to see.

Z.Z is pacing back and forth, clearly aggravated, surrounded by more than two dozen uniformly dressed men and women. I'm not precisely sure what I expected to see, but it certainly was not this.

Seeing us, he redirects his path of pacing to approach our group. "They're not here!" he growls. "This is where they were supposed to meet, right B.B?"

"N.N said they'd meet at L.L's place," she nods, not really concerned. It's easy to tell she doesn't fully grasp what's going on around her.

"Damn!" He pounds his fist against the wall. "She must've figured out we knew! Did any of you draw her direct attention?"

My mouth opens to respond, but nothing comes out. Tori meets my gaze, but quickly averts her eyes. I didn't give it away...did I? I hadn't been thinking at all about tricking her. All I'd wanted was, honestly, Sebastian's safety. She couldn't have picked up on anything sinister, right?

When none of us step up, he returns to his pacing, mumbling, "They'll be meeting somewhere else, then. They wouldn't have cancelled it."

"Are you sure N.N created such a group?" We all look to one of the uniformed women, her purple hair cut as short as a man's. "It seems fairly ridiculous, if you ask me. I mean, of all times, why do it when we're already at war?"

"_Because_ we're at war!" Z.Z snaps. "Don't you get it? We're vulnerable from the inside while we defend ourselves against the demons!"

"But Z.Z-"

"Are you accusing me of making this up? Do you think I'd really gather the best of the royal guard, along with prisoners under suspicion of conspiring with demons, just to play a practical joke? Just to get everyone riled up and panicky? If I'd wanted to do that, I'd have announced this at the last council!" The woman mutes under the scolding words of the boy probably more than twenty years younger than her. "We have to find them! If we don't, there's no way we'll stop them all! We'll have rebels floating among us, and we don't know when they plan to attack! Pandemonium awaits if we don't arrest them all this time! This is their _last meeting_." His feet finally stop shuffling and he takes a deep breath, calming himself.

"If you can capture one, I can force him to tell us," Lelouch proposes.

"Whatever method you have, it'll be unnecessary," Z.Z waves off, motioning to a blue haired guard. "S.S here has truth geass."

"But," Lelouch continues, "I can do more than that."

Z.Z's expression is clearly doubtful. "It's fun having you around and all, but the most useful one of you bunch appears to be missing. I imagine he could help us if we ever to find the meeting, but without being here he can't help us track them."

"He has the geass of the king," Tori interjects.

Silence falls. No one speaks. Not the guards, nor Z.Z, nor any of us. I watch their reaction, their surprise, confused. I do recall something about Lelouch and Tori possessing this power of geass, but why this reaction?

"Th-there's no way," S.S refuses, scoffing. "Z.Z, didn't you tell me that they didn't know anything about geass?"

"I did," Z.Z murmurs, staring at Lelouch. "Which is why he can't be lying."

Curiosity overtakes me and I cannot help but ask, "What?"

"What?" Vierra echoes, not even a second after the sound has escaped my lips. Yuki seems to have the sense to actually formulate the question properly.

"What do you mean, 'he can't be lying'?"

"I mean," Z.Z begins, "that there's a legend. The Geass of the King. All of the kids are taught it the moment they can read, because it's the legend of our history. Supposedly, our first king had a geass with the ability to control the minds of others. He could order them anything, so far as commanding even suicide, and whoever he asked would obey without question. It's how he rose to power and united our world. This entire civilization was erected by him. But how did you get such a geass? It hasn't been seen since that king died, not even in his descendants. You aren't from this universe, so how did you ever come to possess it?"

"Because I needed it," Lelouch declares. Somehow he seems to stand taller, the air of authority that originally hovered about Z.Z drifting to him. "I plan to bring peace to my world, which is unceasingly at war with itself. There might be blood on the path to victory, but with this power, perhaps less can be shed."

"Not to say that there still won't be oceans of it," Tori mentions, her voice not wavering even though the implications of her words are cruel. My stomach twists, although this time, it's not entirely because of the pulling pain.

"That's amazing!" B.B enthuses.

"Then...you'll be a great asset," Z.Z admits. He seems to take this awesome discovery quite well, unlike the guards who openly gape. "However, we still do not have a single rebel. I can't imagine we can find them soon enough, even with such a geass on our side. The meeting will likely be in haste, since N.N is aware of our efforts to stop her."

My thoughts shift back to that place where the pain dulled, just for a moment. That couldn't be tied to that, right? How could it? But...what if, somehow, it is? And if I overlook it, we could be stuck in this universe longer? It seems preposterous, but also silly to pass up the possibility.

"I…." I hesitate, but my voice has drawn the attention of everyone, so I swallow my uncertainty and pain to force out the words. "There's a place...back where we passed a little while ago. Maybe be should head back there?"

"What makes you think that?" Z.Z inquires.

I look from Yuki, to Vierra, to Tori, then Lelouch. "The pain subsides while I'm there."

"You're still hurting?" Vierra curses. "Why didn't you say so? You could have stayed in the bed!"

Lelouch interrupts her worrying. "Why do you think that has anything to do with it?"

"I don't, exactly, but it's strange. Even if it doesn't have anything to do with it, I'd like to go back. It'd make it quite a bit easier for me to stand."

"Does it really hurt that much?" Tori asks.

"She's sweating." Yuki steps closer to me. "Look around her hairline. I don't think that's from the room temperature.

After a moment, Lelouch decides, "We'll look into it, then. Z.Z, are you coming?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" The boy bites back. He waves for the still dubious guards to follow.

* * *

The pain Kara feels...what could that be? I'm asking for your guesses, of course, since I already know. It's been a while since I've heard from you guys. What's going through your heads right now? Hearing from you might just brighten this horrid day for me. I'm not trying to force you or anything, but hey, it couldn't hurt. But I've got laundry to do, a cage to clean, violin to practice, ect. And all of this I must do while suffering physical ailment. Isn't this world just so kind and forgiving? I'll post the next chapter within the next few days seeing I don't collapse.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	20. Chapter 20

Alright, so, I decided I should continue with this story before I begin uploading a new one. Whether or not I'll finish it or not, I don't know, but I've got a few chapters to upload at least. I plan to post a second Hunter x Hunter story after this, but progress is going slow. As such, I'll be working on writing that while I post these chapters. This chapter is from Tori's point of view. I've had to go back and reread what I've previously written so I don't accidentally let something vital I mentioned earlier slip my mind, and at the same time I've also planned the rest of this storyline basically up till the end. At this point, it's only a matter or writing it and keeping track of all the details. Wish me luck, and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Catching myself chewing on my nail, I quickly lower my hand back to my side. This is an obtrusive goal, stopping a rebellion that isn't even a part of our universe, but we do need to find Sebastian. Without him, we can't find the tear and return to the compound. And, worst of all of course, the very fabric of all existences could wear beyond repair while we loiter.

Kara leads the way, her face set stony. She's attempting to hide it, but her eyes scream out in agony. She seems extremely fragile, but I'm hesitant to call her so. To be able to keep functioning as normal under a strain on the body as large as the one she appears to be suffering is not an easy task. Not to mention that N.N was thoroughly impressed with her when she first read her mind. Something about killing a Roman emperor with her own hands. My first impression of Kara had been that she was harmless, but clearly I missed something. I had not assessed her as one with a past of murder.

"Here!" She gasps, all of a sudden brighter. Her expression relaxes and the stiff line she'd shaped her lips into releases.

Lelouch faces Z.Z. "Is there anything of significance close to here, or anything without any significance whatsoever?"

"These are residents," Z.Z frowns. "Family residences. And no one on this level has shown any resistance to the current government. That's likely why they chose this floor in the first place, but they wouldn't be anywhere near here now.

"Then," Lelouch continues, "how about on the floors above or below this point. What's there?"

Z.Z furrows his brow in thought, then shakes his head. "There should be a bathroom below here, which is insignificant, but too small. Directly above us are just more residents."

Kara's face falls, and one of the guards curses. Then the same guard has some sort of eureka moment. "Z.Z!" He gets the kid's attention. "Six floors up there's a storage room where gatroids are kept!"

Z.Z's eyes widen. "Get to the teleporters! Guns ready!" The five of us outsiders don't even have a chance to glance at each other before everyone takes off and we're forced to follow. When we reach the elevators, or I guess they're teleporters, I realize we're missing Vierra, Yuki and Kara.

"Wait!" I shout, scanning the hall for them.

Lelouch doesn't even need a full second to see what's wrong. "Where are they?"

They round the corner not even a second later, Vierra and Yuki on either side of the girl in the white dress. Her feet drag on the floor, one arm slung over Vierra's shoulders and Yuki tentatively supporting her other side. They could be going a lot faster, but Yuki seems to be avoiding any solid contact with Kara whatsoever. Growling, I rush back, pushing Yuki aside and taking his place. With my assistance, it isn't long before we've hoisted her into the elevator and the door-wall thing closes behind us.

Z.Z practically shouts, "Floor thirty seven!"

The light flashes, and as soon as the hallway is open before us, the guards and Z.Z dash out. Lelouch follows without hesitation, but I linger back with Kara. To my amazement, though, she breaks away from Vierra and me. Although a crippled victim of pain mere moments ago, she's suddenly able to move, _run_ on her own.

Ignoring the oddity for the time being, the last of us take off after the Geass natives before they can leave our sight. Where we stop, there are no markers to indicate the place, just the same as all the other rooms. Z.Z raises his hand in a fist, stopping the guards behind him. Despite the age difference, all of them look to him for guidance. Somehow, I get the feeling that their obedience sprouts from a bit more than simply fear of his unique geass.

I step up next to Lelouch, who is trying to keep his labored breathing as quiet as possible. Even as the leader of the Black Knights, he has no stamina to speak of. Unless, that is, you're referring to that of the mind. Physically, he's terribly weak. He doesn't exactly have the time to concentrate on building endurance, though.

"Only shoot if fired upon," Z.Z commands, glaring across his feeble troops. None of us have any idea of how many people might be a part of this rebellion, and all we have is a few special geass users and a band of royal guards Z.Z managed to rally. I suppose Sebastian should be counted as a major asset, but he's within the room right now, and who knows what's going on in there. "I want this dealt with with the least amount of bloodshed, if possible. I want to use the king's geass to have them surrender calmly, so do everything in your power to ensure this guy is protected. I won't be very happy if you allow any of his friends to be injured, either. They're here because a few of them might prove useful if things go awry, as well as to add to our numbers. Is that understood?"

All the guards salute in unison, chorusing, "Yes sir!"

"Let's get this over with," he grumbles, slipping a small, oddly shaped gun from inside his shirt. Pulling on the barrel, it extends and widens, a black glow emitting from it. Then, he presses his hand to the door and ducks to the side, all of us following his lead.

The moment the wall is dissolved, a full spray of bullets rains past us. Each hits the wall opposite of the shooters, the grey wall absorbing them all before smoothing over as if it never happened.

"Show yourselves, cowards!" It's an unfamiliar voice, but it's quickly rebuked by N.N's.

"Shut up! We're in trouble!"

"But you brought along a-"

"SEBASTIAN!" My gaze snaps over to Kara, but she isn't running out to meet him like I half expected she would. Instead, she stays crouched and huddled to the wall like the rest of us. Her eyes are scrunched shut, and just barely, her frame trembles with fear. This is the girl who single handedly killed a roman emperor? "SEBASTIAN! I ORDER YOU TO RETURN TO MY SIDE AT ONCE!"

From within the room, I can faintly hear his response. "Yes, Mistress Kara."

And then I startle, the raven haired man appearing before her in under a second. As curses pour out from the inner room, the demon kneels before his mistress and lays his hand gently on her arm. She doesn't even look at his face before lunging into his arms.

I can feel my face heat up while I watch it play out, but push the embarrassment from my mind. This is a battle. The worst thing you can do to yourself in battle is get distracted.

"What now?" I whisper to Z.Z, who's scowling next to me.

"Now we figure out how to get inside."

"Any bright ideas?"

"Q.Q," he orders a guard with yellow hair tied close to her head, "can you get us in?"

"Of course," she nods sharply. A faint, familiar red glow begins under her bangs, and she slips a mirror from her pocket to look at the people in the room. Everyone in the reflection suddenly becomes rigid, their eyes flying wide as they twist around to face the other wall.

"What-" I begin.

"Don't ask questions," the kid shushes me, voice barely audible. "She can't control their hearing."

So it has something to do with what they're seeing. Barely seconds pass before we've barrelled into the room, the royal guards firing upon the rebels. The thought makes me cringe, since the situation reminds me of what Lelouch and I are currently aiming to do. The biggest difference is, this time, we're on the side of the reigning power. It comforts me a bit when I realize the bullets only paralyzed those shot.

The rebels began shooting as soon as we left our cover, except that they were shooting into the wall opposite us. Like the wall from the hallway, the one being bombarded absorbs the bullets. It repairs itself within seconds, only to be riddled again with enemy fire.

I drive my knee into the stomach of the nearest rebel and, when they double over, I steal their gun away. Not that I know how to use it.

"You idiots!" N.N's voice rings out, partially drowned out by the gunfire. "One of them has a Geass that can make everything appear backwards! Shoot _behind_ you!"

Even though I don't know how to use it explicitly, it can't be too different from guns I've used before. They seem to be using them the same way. I quickly adjust and aim to shoot, and in response to N.N's words, bullets begin to fly towards us. Not many are fired, though, before someone on their side shouts,

"Stop! You'll shoot each other if you fire these guns in close proximity! We can't even see what we're shooting at!"

Z.Z gives Q.Q and her squadron one final order, gesturing to Lelouch before aiming his own gun at a rebel. "Protect that one! He's the key to the quickest surrender!"

The effect is instantaneous. The rebels can see us, and train their guns onto us, but Lelouch is no longer here. Actually, he seems to be in multiple different places all over the room. From what I've picked up about Q.Q's Geass, none of the Lelouch-es I see are the real ones. She's making us see him from all angles except the real one.

"Drop your weapons!" A redheaded man steps a little out from the rebel group towards us, his gun, like every other one, ready to kill. "Drop your weapons and surrender or we'll be forced to shoot!"

I curse under my breath. I'm sure Z.Z wasn't expecting them to stand still like this, or he would've not hidden Lelouch. This is the perfect time for Lelouch to be using his Geass!

Lelouch's voice floats out of nowhere. "Undo your Geass."

"I'm under orders to protect you."

Before he can force the guard to listen to him, the redhead gives the command. "Disarm them!"

Rebels rush us all at once. I stagger back, pulling the trigger and hitting one of them coming at me. He falls, but then the others hit me. Useless in these close quarters, I discard the gun and switch to hand combat. I may not have been able to so much as throw a punch back when I lived in the villa, but the Black Knight's training system is nothing to sneeze at.

It also becomes clear to me that these people are inexperienced at war; They aren't soldiers. A seasoned soldier would have kept the stalemate, and certainly would not throw away their advantage away by changing to physical combat.

"YUKI!"

Vierra screams her boyfriend's name, and I can't help but glance over to her thinking he's been either mortally injured, or killed. The only corpse I see, though, is her. And she's quite the active corpse. Her head whips around frantically as she tries to break away from the royal guards protecting her, her eyes scanning...the floor? The object of her concern is nowhere in sight.

Then my attention is yanked back to my own fight as a guard abruptly knocks out one of the guys on top of me. I elbow a third rebel in his face before daring to return my gaze to Vierra. Now at her side is, of all people, Sebastian, who hands her something small and white. All tension seems to drain from her at the sight of whatever it is. Then Sebastian disappears again presumably to return to Kara's side, who has slipped from my line of vision.

"Put down your weapons, stop fighting, and listen to what I have to say!"

The authority of Lelouch's voice visibly shakes the rebels, drawing the majority of their attentions. Our side also stops attacking those who've stopped to listen, instead converging on those who've yet to cease their attacks and those still holding guns.

"Rebels, surrender!" Lelouch orders with a demanding tone I've grown accustomed to ever since we met again in the Black Knights. He stands susceptible to gunfire atop a machine that resembles an old, giant mars buggy. "Accept your punishments peacefully and cause no more trouble!"

As usual, everyone paying attention obeys. Some of the guards shake their heads in amazement as they secure the obedient rebels, the unaffected rebels gaping at their comrades in confusion. N.N is one of them. She's actually closer to me than I'd originally thought.

She's near enough for me to hear her mumble under her breath, "I was an idiot to have chosen the demon over him."

* * *

I've had this scene in my head for the past few months, since the last time I had a spurt of updating for this story actually. I'm glad I finally got it written out. Now, the Geass arch is finally drawing to an end and we can hop onto the next arch. Sorry for my snail's pace with this story. Personally, I think it's one of the best I've written idea and storyline wise. The creation of this story has taken so long, though, that my progress as a writer is probably evident in the passing of the chapters. That means the beginning wasn't written as well as I can write now, but if I ever do revisions, I should probably finish writing the entire thing first. We'll have to see how long that takes.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	21. Chapter 21

Happy veteran's day. A have two relatives who are veterans, myself, so I appreciate the existence of today. How appropriate, that I'm wrapping up the war in Geass on this very day. Kinda nice, isn't it? Anyway, I've finally gotten my brother, who's never really liked anime, to watch a full series! Seven Deadly Sins! I rewatched the entire thing a second time with him. The best part is that I've also got him to agree to watch Hunter x Hunter with me starting on Thanksgiving break! I'm suuuuper pumped! Not only do I get to watch another anime with him, but I get to rewatch the masterpiece that is Hunter x Hunter! It's so long that I don't think I could ever rewatch the entire thing by myself. Anyway, I'm jumpy with anticipation.

Now, onto the chapter.

* * *

I cup the rat in my hand to my chest, securing him so he doesn't fall. If I was still alive, I would have had a heart attack when he transformed in the middle of all that chaos. It must've been the stress, cause I hadn't noticed any females other than me particularly close to him. If Sebastian hadn't found him...I don't want to think about that. I guess that means he knows Yuki's secret now.

"Vierra, your heart is beating strangely," Yuki notices, looking up at me.

"I know," I whisper, trying my best to hide the fact I'm talking with a rodent while I scan the floor for Yuki's discarded clothes. "I realized that pretty soon after Mary told me this body is my dead one. It probably has something to do with that."

Finding his outfit, his usual chinese-style shirt and dark pants, I snatch them off the floor before anyone can notice them and bundle them in my free hand.

"Sorry," I mumble. "They're gonna be a bit crumpled."

"People probably stepped on them already, anyway," he sighs, his disappointment barely hidden.

"You never told me what you're here for." Z.Z approaches me, deactivating his gun that looks to be from one of those old space travel movies. "You told me you travel dimensions, but you never told me why you came to this one. I'm assuming there's something you want to do besides aid our subduing of the rebels."

I glance at the guards, who're still busy securing the rebels. "Don't you still have things to finish?"

"I'm not their general, if that's what you're saying," he laughs. "They know what to do from here. Now, my question?"

Strange kid, but I like him. Even if he is a bit arrogant. And rude. "We need to find something here. There's a tear in the universe that's not supposed to be open, and we're here to close it."

"Wait," his eyes widen. "You mean, like, the bridge the demons come through?"

"Probably that."

"But we closed that already. We're just left dealing with the demons that got stuck here."

"That may be so," Sebastian interrupts, "but the residue of the disturbance hasn't been fixed. It seems that by opening the bridge you spoke of, my kind shook the fabric of your universe as a whole. It caused a weak spot within this building to rip open, and that you've yet to address."

Z.Z eyes the man. "You're a demon. Why should I believe what you're saying?"

"Because if existence is destroyed, my mistress would cease to exist. I can't have that." His hand strokes Kara's head, the girl glued to his side. When he explains his reasoning, she glares up at him.

"You didn't need to say that," she grumbles, tomato red.

I interject back into the conversation. "Can we just get this over with? You can sense the tear, Sebastian, right? Lead the way. The shorter time I stay in this body, the better."

"Indeed," he shakes his head. "You've begun to smell of rot."

"He's lying," Yuki assures me, glaring at the demon with beady eyes. His voice is barely loud enough for me to hear, but Sebastian seems to understand him loud and clear.

"Demons do not lie, I'm afraid. However, the only reason I can smell it is because I am a demon."

"What, is she sick or something?" Z.Z wonders, his childish curiosity showing its face.

"Nothing you need to worry about," I dismiss him. "Are we gonna go or not? We've still got two more places to go."

"The tear seems to be close," Sebastian informs us, pointing upwards to the left. "If you could be so kind as to escort us, Z.Z, we can be out of your hair within the hour."

"Hey," Tori finally joins the group. "Where's your guy? You lost him during the fight, didn't you?"

My eyes flicker down to Yuki, still a rat in my hand, unsure of what to say. And she hasn't pointed out the clothes in my hand yet, but if she does everything's gonna get even more complicated.

"It's fine, Vierra," Yuki says,turning to face Tori. "If things keep going the way they have been, she would find out sooner or later."

Tori's eyes widen at his voice when it comes out of the rat. She glances up to me in shock, then back to him in disbelief. "You're kidding me! He turned into a _rat_? Is this _normal_ in your universe?"

"N-no," I stammer, "it's not normal. His family is just sorta...special."

"Please, I ask you not to think of me any differently if you," Yuki bows his head. "This is not something I can help, or control."

"No, of course," she huffs, crossing her arms as she lets out a long breath. "We all have our secrets. Even if N.N threw around a bunch of them, there's bound to be some we still have."

"Oh." Kara blinks. "Was it a secret that you and Lelouch are siblings?"

The question seems to give her pause, her words chosen carefully as she eyes Sebastian. Clearly, it's complicated, but she doesn't want to blatantly lie when there's a demon who could tell in front of her. "That wasn't a secret relevant to the relationship between everyone on this mission. There's no harm in you knowing our shared blood."

The smirk on the demon's face leads me to think he knows something she's not saying, but he doesn't outright refute her. She may not be lying….but she might. I don't know why our knowing about them would be a bad thing. Still, the topic seems sensitive for her.

Then there's a puff of smoke, and the weight in my hand disappears. My eyes snap shut in their automatic response, and the clothes are grabbed out of my hands. After a moment, Yuki gives the okay and I open my eyes. As usual, he's still yet to don his shirt and I get a quick peek at his abs. Then the cloth is pulled down over his torso and I quickly look away to hide my ogling. Then I click my tongue when I realize all eyes have trained on him. Of course they have. He just seemingly appeared out of nowhere, naked. He really only had a few seconds to get anything on before the smoke cleared up, and since my eyes were closed, I don't know if he made it. My eyes return to Yuki, my hand slipping into his. He lifts his head a bit, but his head is hung to avoid eye contact with anyone.

"What was that?" Lelouch asks, the last to join us.

"Apparently Yuki can turn into a rat," Tori explains, jutting her thumb at my boyfriend. "That's that, but we should really get to what we came here to do."

"Yes, we should," Lelouch confirms. I would marvel at how unfazed he is, but everything these past few days has been beyond weird already. His lack of reaction isn't all that surprising.

"If we're ready, then should we get going?" Sebastian asks, turning to Z.Z. "I shall gladly be the bloodhound to find the tear. So if you could help us get around…"

"I get it, I'll do it," Z.Z relents, scowling at the demon. "You don't have to be so pushy. Where'd you say you sensed it, again?" Sebastian once again motions up left. "Fine, then follow me. We'll walk till you feel like it's right above you, then we'll figure out the floor. How does that sound?"

"That will work," Lelouch nods, taking control. It seems to be a habit of his. "Let's go."

Sebastian leads the way, Kara trailing a step behind him. The pain from before seems to have dissipated, evident from her smiling face. It's amazing how she seems to be able to disregard everything else happening and just be glad she's with Sebastian. I get the feeling that, before this, they must've been separated for some time. Maybe their relationship was some sort of scandal, and Sebastian had to run off or something. Since she seems to come from the past, it's a believable story. At least, it would be….if Sebastian was a human. I doubt he's one to run away under pressure from people.

"Vierra." The calm, yet alarmed tone of Yuki's voice makes my hair stand on end. "Look at your stomach."

Instinctively, my hand goes to my stomach before my eyes do, and what I feel is a hole. A small, round hole near the middle of my shirt. It doesn't take me long to figure out what it is, and realize what exactly is wrong.

My hand tightens around Yuki's as I meet his eyes, murmuring, "It doesn't hurt."

"You're not bleeding."

I nod, covering the hole with my arm as the two of us follow the other five down the halls. We remain silent the rest of the way, from the time Sebastian informs us that he feels the tear directly above us until the time we've found the right floor. At some point, B.B joins our crew. Her primary focus is Z.Z, though, whom she seems to really like. Z.Z in return looks at her with a familiarly soft gaze while he tells her about what's going on with her sister. We're just leaving the elevator when my legs fail me. Yuki lunges to catch me, only for smoke to puff in my face. Instead, I find myself in the arms of Kara's butler. I grimace, but if he were to put me down, I wouldn't be able to stand.

"Vierra! Are you alright?" Yuki worries from the floor. It takes unusual effort, but I roll in Sebastian's arms to look down at the white rat.

"I'm just tired," I promise. "What about you?"

"What's with that?" Z.Z shakes his head, scoffing. "You're totally cool with your boyfriend turning into a some tiny, ugly creature. Why'd it happen, anyway? What's the trigger for it?"

I frown. "He's not ugly." I close my eyes, not really having the energy to go on.

Yuki instead takes the liberty to explain. "It happens whenever I hug a girl, or to be more precise, when I put my arm around one in any way that could be considered an embrace."

"It also happens if you get too stressed," I tack on, not opening my eyes.

"How odd," I hear Kara's voice muse. When she speaks again, her voice is coming from the same area as Yuki's. "At least you're cute when you're a rat."

"Hey!" I snap, a small burst of energy bubbling up with my irritation. "I know he's cute, but paws off! Save it for your own boyfriend!"

Tori laughs, and Lelouch points out, "You're the one being carried by her boyfriend." Then he clears his throat, the lightness leaving his tone. "We don't have time for this. We need to get to the tear."

"Is it okay if I carry you, Yuki?" Kara requests to my displeasure. "I can carry your clothes, too."

"That would be great, thank you Miss," Yuki responds appreciatively. I can tell, then, from the slight rocking that we've begun moving again. Really, does Sebastian have to carry me like a princess? I'd prefer it if he slung me on his back like a child or something. As we walk, Yuki asks anxiously, "Vierra, how are you? What happened? Did something make you collapse?"

I know his thoughts are on the bullet hole in my abdomen, but that wasn't it. All of the sudden, I just felt the need to sleep. I just felt so tired that I couldn't stay upright anymore. I'm barely holding onto consciousness now, actually

"She hasn't eaten enough," I hear Sebastian say to Yuki. "If you'll remember, Mary warned her that this would happen if she neglected to eat for a long enough period of time."

_Yeah,_ I think, _but she never explained that it would be like this._

"This is it, the room right above where we were," Z.Z finally declares.

"Yes, this is right," Sebastian confirms. "I can sense it inside." And then we're walking again, presumably to enter the room. I sluggishly cross my arms into a comfortable position and peel open my eyes. What I see is nothing out of the ordinary. It looks just like every other room in this place, except it's stocked full of random stuff. Must be a storage room, or garage or something.

"Now, how are we supposed to do this, exactly," Tori wonders, plucking the lilly from her hair. Despite the fact that it's been in front of my eyes the entire time, I'd forgotten that it was there.

"Wow!" B.B suddenly leaps over to Tori's side, eyes fixed on the flower. "You can take it off? I thought it was part of your hair!"

"Ah, um, no," Tori stutters, then laughs. "No, this is a flower. It's a plant. This plant in particular is very special to me." She rolls the stem between her fingers, slipping into deep thought. My eyes widen when the flower begins to emit a white glow. Tori seems to be the last to notice, suddenly startling from her thoughts. At the same time, a vertical strip of air in the middle of the room begins to shimmer.

"That must be it," Lelouch voices what we all are thinking.

"Would ya look at that," I yawn. "How pretty."

"Well then, let's be on our way," Sebastian says, nodding for Kara to go first. As she steps past him, he hands me off to Lelouch and suddenly grabs her from behind. "On second thought, it might be safer if I carry you."

"Sebastian!" Kara barely has time to squeal before they've disappeared into the tear. When I realize she took Yuki along with her, I grimace. If not for the weight of my body right now, I'd be leaping in after him.

"Shall we?" Lelouch asks, glancing over to Tori. She looks up from the glowing flower and nods, letting out a long breath.

"I guess this'll send us back to that animal place, won't it?" she concludes, examining the tear. It really isn't much other than a distortion in the air. Seeing Sebastian, Kara and Yuki vanish into it was the stuff of movies, the way they disappeared into thin air. If I wasn't here right now, I wouldn't believe it was happening.

"Um, Tori," Lelouch begins hesitantly. "Could you help me with her?"

"I'm not that heavy," I complain, yawning.

Tori giggles, lending a hand to help hold me upright. "Don't take it personally, Vierra. This guy's got no strength at all."

"I've just never had to hold another human being before," he insists.

"Hey," Z.Z butts in, arms crossed. "Where exactly are you going, when you go through this?" He nods to the tear as he asks.

Lelouch is the first to answer. "Another universe. From there we'll travel to the next two and seal other tears that have appeared." Z.Z stares at the shimmering air, thinking.

Finally, my eyelids prove to be too heavy to keep open and they slide shut. My feet barely move as Tori and Lelouch practically drag me to the tear. Then, I hear the two on either side of me gasp, and all of us tumble headfirst into the tear.

* * *

:P I don't know how well I wrote this chapter, but that's for you to decide since you're the readers. It was alright, but I feel like it wasn't the best I could've done. The problem is that I don't know how I'd revise it if I did (which I typically don't like to do). It's kinda a long chapter, too, but I imagine that doesn't bother you guys too much. Hey, if it does, tell me. I just haven't heard of that bothering most people. Anyway, since this is just the story I only periodcally update, if you guys haven't you should go check out my other works. (shameless self promotion) I plan on uploading a second Hunter X Hunter fan fiction sometime soon. It's a complete one eighty from my previous Hunter X Hunter work, in my opinion, and I'm eager to think what you all will think about it.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	22. Chapter 22

This one's from Kara's point of view. I haven't much to say today, really. I'm feeling pretty neutral. Nothing to complain about, nothing I'm particularly excited about. I'm just kinda floating right now, if that makes any sense. It's kind of nice. I think I'm going to start uploading my new story after this chapter, but of course that doesn't mean I'm going to stop with this one. Most likely, I'll just drop it for awhile before picking back up again. This one's pretty much a background project. Now, it's one I'm a fan of, but it's not my main focus. Anyway, look forward to that new story. The OC I've created is certainly...an interesting one. I've never written anything like her, so it should be a journey.

Anyway, onto_ this_ story.

* * *

My hands are over my eyes when a thud reaches my ears. Luckily, Yuki is already dressed when I lower my hands. The second thing I see is a pile of people on the floor. Tori, Lelouch and Vierra all lay groaning on the floor. That was expected, but in addition to them, two smaller humans lay just a few feet away from them. The little girl with white hair sniffs, tears welling up as she sits up. Then her eyes settle on the black haired boy next to her and she panics.

"Z.Z! Z.Z, get up! Z.Z!" She shakes the boy, fear in her eyes.

Another slam startles me when the door to the room swings open to reveal Mary. She dashes inside, followed by the man called Dillon, and kneels at the children's sides. I glance to Sebastian, nervous.

Mary flips Z.Z onto his back. "Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me!" She whips her head around to Dillon. "He can hear me. Dillon, what are we supposed to do?"

"Le's move 'im to a bed, and I'll do what I can."

"What...what's going on?" I ask anxiously, looking to Mary for answers.

"That's what I want to ask you!" she huffs, lifting Z.Z into her arms. "But right now we've got to try to save him! Bring the other one along! Yuki, you stay here and make sure those three are okay!"

Shocked, I obey, taking B.B's hand and trailing after my twin. My other hand goes to Sebastian as we rush down the halls, B.B's fright and Mary's urgency infectious. Dillon throws open a door and Mary darts past him, with me in close pursuit. Inside, she lays Z.Z gently on the bed and quickly steps back. Dillon begins with taking the pulse of the boy.

"Kara," B.B squeezes my hand, "What just happened? Is Z.Z going to be okay?"

As I meet her vivid green eyes, it dawns on me that she just got herself stuck in this universe. If we succeeded in closing the tear, B.B and Z.Z have no way back to their own universe. I drop to my knees and throw my arms around the girl, unsure what else to do.

"We'll take care of Z.Z, okay?" I offer another empty promise. When I first told her we'd finish the war to help her older sister, I was skeptical of course, but I was more sure that promise could be fulfilled than this one. I don't even understand what's wrong with him! Does it have something to do with him travelling through the tear? I would suspect so, but everyone else seemed to get through just fine. Even if me and the others, the ones the people here originally summoned, were made to be mostly immune from the effects of traveling between universes, B.B seems to be just fine other than being scared. So then, what's wrong with Z.Z?

"His heartbeat's irregular," Dillon reports, laying a hand on the boy's forehead, "and his temperature...he's got a fever."

Mary taps her foot nervously, a habit I see she still has yet to break. I'd forgotten that she did that. "We can fix this, can't we? Wasn't Alice in a similar condition when she and Arthur arrived?"

Dillon nods. "She was, but the cause was different for her. Also, she came here in her soul's body. This boy brought both his physical body and his soul. You should know that things affect the living and the dead differently, Mary. Besides, he seems to be in worse shape. It's true that Alice had a horrible fever when we found her, but that was it. The dead's hearts don't beat. He's still alive, though, and an uneven heartbeat is dangerous for him. He's likely in a lot of pain."

"What's going on?" I repeat my question from earlier, Dillon's words making my blood run cold. Can they not help him?

"It's just as you see," Mary bites her lip. "He's in critical condition from coming through the tear unprepared."

"Mistress Kara," Sebastian kneels beside me, his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Normally, only one's soul can go between universes. Only a demon body, or a dead body, is capable of traversing existence's fabric without facing harm. A living, non demonic body undergoes terrible stress going from one universe to another."

"What about B.B, then?" I argue. "Why is she okay?"

"The two of them came through together, milady. It would be my guess that Z.Z took the brunt of the damage protecting her, and she in fact has suffered very little."

"Your name is B.B?" Mary asks, squatting down to look at B.B at eye level. The girl pulls away from me a bit, looking between me and my twin before nodding to Mary. "I'm Kara's sister, Mary. Are you and this boy geass users?"

"Yes," B.B answers in a small voice.

"Could you tell me what the two of you can do?"

"Z.Z...he can cancel geass if he wants to. I can calm a person down. Big sister N.N called it...dilute...diluting emotions, I think."

Mary ruffles her white hair. "Those are cool abilities, B.B. Do you think it would be possible for you to slow this boy's heartbeat a bit? That would probably help him a lot."

B.B looks to the ground. "But if he's asleep, and I'm not calm," she sniffs, "it won't work!"

Sadly, Mary smiles at the child. "Alright, then. We'll do our best to wake him up. For now, why don't you try to relax? We can get you something to eat, although the food is probably a bit different than what you're used to. Does that sound okay?" When B.B nods yes, Mary stands and holds out her palm in front of her. It takes me a second to see the tiny robot that lands on her hand. "Lee, could you send Alice here?"

"She'll be there in a second," a voice responds from the metallic gnat.

"Well," Mary sighs, "This might not be the best time to say this, but welcome to our universe, B.B. We'll do our best to make you feel at home."

Then there's Alice, who skids to a stop in the doorway, panting. Her blonde hair is a wreck, freely dangling over her eyes as she desperately sucks in breath. Her eyes widen as her eyes lands on B.B in my arms and Z.Z passed out on the bed.

"You poor things!" she groans her gaze pitying. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you."

"B.B," Sebastian smiles gently at the girl, "shall we go? If you like, I could carry you." As much of a gentleman as he is, I hadn't expected him to offer her that. I've known for a long time that immature kids are one of the things that irritate him. If I had ordered him to, of course he would have gladly carried her, but I can't help but gape as he lifts B.B into his arms. She hugs his shoulder, burying her head into it. Then my eyes flicker to Sebastian and notice his smirk. I scold myself silently as my face heats up, reminding myself this isn't the time for this. Honestly, I should just be glad we each have separate bodies again, and that I can actually look at him and him at me.

Shifting as to let her rest on only one of his arms, he offers me his hand as he always does to escort me. I take it, hiding my face so he can't see how red it's probably turned.

Alice brings us to the same room as when we first arrived, the dim cafeteria where I first saw Mary again. Recalling how I slipped off the chair back then, I opt not to sit down this time. Alice smiles gently at B.B, and for a moment I'm struck by the picture of Sebastian, Alice, and B.B. They look like a family. Unlike me, Alice appears to be close to Sebastian's age, and she's undeniably gorgeous.

I realize then that my hand has tightened around Sebastian's and drop my head in embarrassment. How could I be jealous? After all this time I've spent with him, after all we've been through….and this certainly is _not the time for this_. There are other things to be worried about.

A door opens and draws our attention, a black skinned man with a tray of food in his hands freezing in the doorway. I do not use the term 'black' loosely, either. Colored people in England, as far as I've seen have skin varying from light to dark brown, but this man's skin is as dark as night.

"Jackal!" Alice exclaims, immediately dashing to him. "Jackal, two kids came through from Geass! Dillon and Mary are tending to him, but the boy's in critical condition."

The man called Jackal doesn't so much as glance at her, glaring at Sebastian. Then, he shoves his food into Alice's hands. "Give this to the girl. I'll go see the boy."

Alice calls to him as he storms past us, "They're in the room they took me to when I arrived!"

With him gone, Sebastian sets B.B down in a chair and Alice serves her the food Jackal gave to her, apologizing for the blandness. So that was Jackal. Indeed, he is an intimidating man, and his distaste towards demons is clear without a word said to it.

"Alice," Sebastian begins, yanking me from my thoughts, "Would you mind if I asked as to who Arthur is?"

She sits across from B.B, pursing her lips as she watches the child eat. "I suppose you don't know about him yet, do you? He's my brother. The two of us came here together."

"Why haven't we met him yet?" I wonder. "Is he like Jackal? Does he hate demons?"

"No," she shakes her head, letting out a long sigh. "No, it's different. See, Arthur and I died in your universe when a madman broke into my house. We lived a about fifty years, give or take, after the point in time we stole you from, and during that time some major wars had just finished. Anyhow, Arthur had come to visit our family since he had moved out recently. I still lived with Mamma and Poppa, but they had been out at the time. Some nutjob, clearly a lunatic without a mind to speak of, barged in and shot the both of us. To be precise, we died of the same bullet, and within seconds of each other. We were unlucky enough to have been lined up perfectly, him standing and I sitting, for the bullet to go through his chest and into my head. The point is, as our deaths were intertwined, our souls travelled together into the afterlife.

"However, there was a….complication as we travelled to the universe we were meant to go to. We encountered a bodiless, exiled demon, who tried to possess me. Apparently, I didn't meet his standards, and he instead entered Arthur. He knocked us off course and we ended up here with the others, although I had a fever and Arthur…. He's still possessed. We've kept him locked up all this time." She leans against the table, hand covering her eyes. "He was the kindest brother anyone could ask for, but now he...he acts like some wild animal! It's him...but it isn't, and nobody knows how to fix it! None of us are exorcists! We've tried mimicking some we've seen in other universes, but so far nothing's worked!"

My skin prickles, cold, as she describes her possessed brother. Although I've been with Sebastian for years upon years, encounters with other demons were few and far between. The only thing I know about possession comes from back when...when I still lived on that farm, with mother, father, and Mary. Of course, the stories spoke of the possessed cursing god's name, which holds no fear or me now, but there were plenty other symptoms that still make my blood run cold. Convulsions, foaming as if rabid, killing their loved ones…. My nightmares of back then often entailed those around me being possessed by a demon. It seems I still have not shaken the fear.

"And yet, despite all that, you are not afraid of me?" Sebastian inquires

She shakes her head. "You're not a possessor, are you? So I'm not."

Others might find it strange, for her not be frightened after so much has befallen her, but I understand. Just look at me. Although I was raised to scorn and fear the demon race as minions of the devil, and their kind haunted my darkest nightmares, I now cling to the arm of one such demon.

"I might have an idea, then," Sebastian declares, snapping us both to attention. "That is, if you're willing to trust me."

* * *

And now we've finally met all of the natives to this universe. Unless, that is, you're going to get technical. We've seen 'Arthur' before in chapter four, but he was possessed, so have we truly met Arthur? Anyway, I'm just going to say we've met them all at this point. And now B.B has been added to the inhabitants, although she's still alive. Z.Z too...if he survives. 'Why are they here' you ask? That'll be answered in later chapters, I promise. If you have the patience, please stick around and look forward to their uploading. I would recommend you read this sort of in the background, since that's how I write it. If you like it, what I would do is just check up on it every few months or so for new chapters. Sorry for this being so sporadic with this.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


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